The news of a woman being raped right in front of her kids has left the people of our country in shock. The news has not only been a source of torment for the masses but it has also raised questions over the safety of the women in our country. This all ended up stirring an online debate regarding the matter and like, many other cases, the victim in this case was blamed for being out at ‘that’ hour and using ‘that’ particular route. The surprising part is that this irresponsible statement came from the CCPO Lahore, who’s leading the law enforcement agencies in that area.
CCPO Lahore, Umar Shiekh, while being asked about progress in the motorway rape case, implied that the woman herself was to be blamed for being raped
He stated that the woman should have opted for an alternate and relatively ‘safer’ route and should have also re-checked the amount of fuel in the vehicle
The people have rightly called out the CCPO for his irresponsible statement and have demanded his immediate removal from the office
They were shocked at the audacity of the CCPO to accuse the victim of doing wrong to herself by not choosing an alternate route.
The Minister for Human Rights, Shireen Mazari also condemned the CCPO Lahore, saying that his statement was extremely irresponsible and she has decided to take this issue further
She concluded her statement by saying that nothing can ever rationalize the crime of rape.
In response to Shireen Mazari condemning the CCPO Lahore, people were quick to point out that she has finally woken up
They made suggestive jokes to highlight the way she doesn’t speak up through most of the human right violations in the country.
The awaam is highly disappointed because of mere lip service paid by politicians across the board, being cautious that Shireen Mazari condemning CCPO Lahore could become just that if no real action is taken by her
A LOT of them demanded a stern ‘action’ rather than just a tweet to call out the culprits.
People pointed out that Mrs. Mazari’s job is not only limited to condemn the officer or culprits but also to ensure that justice is provided by all means through actual action
It’s important to understand that blaming the victims or advising that women take certain precautionary measures in advance, will NOT eradicate the issue of rape from society. The issue needs to be addressed from the root cause which in this case is the underlying patriarchy and casual misogyny which dictate the norms of the society. It is this misogyny that allows for men to go on exerting violence on women as if they are their property and not equal human beings. Of course, strict implementation of the laws is a must too, but educating society is the most important way to change these criminal occurrences.