Violence against women is hardly uncommon in Pakistan, but the case this week of a young college student who immolated herself has grabbed headlines. Reports say the young woman set herself on fire outside the local police station in Bet Mir Hazar near Muzzafargarh on Wednesday. She was shifted to hospital, but died the next day. The girl alleged that she was raped by a group of four men after they kidnapped her, and lodged a case with local police on January 5 this year. However, the police wrote a report virtually exonerating the accused, which was then cited by a court when granting bail. After they were bailed out, the young woman repeatedly lodged protests with the police inspector in charge of investigation, but no one was listening. In the end, she simply decided to end her life in the most dramatic way possible. The details of this case bear scrutiny because we cannot for a moment believe that any person can be pushed to kill herself in this manner without significant cause. First we must know why investigators filed a case of attempted rape, rather than rape, when the initial complaint was made. So far no evidence has emerged that a medico-legal examination of the victim was conducted to determine whether a rape took place. How then did the police arrive at the conclusion that the incident was attempted rape, rather than rape? Knowing all this, how could a court decide to grant bail in the absence of such an examination? Given the attitudes of policemen to rape allegations, particularly in rural areas, the chances are they did not conduct anything resembling a proper investigation. Research shows that southern Punjab averages more than 2,700 cases of violence against women every year, and while the actual number probably exceeds this, the conviction rate remains under five percent. Recently, the Senate was stunned to learn that out of 103 rape cases in Islamabad over five years, none ended in conviction. NGOs working in this field report that the ratio of First Information Reports (FIRs) filed to the number of medical inquiries conducted is climbing sharply, meaning fewer inquiries are conducted every year despite more FIRs being lodged. Meanwhile brutal instances of rape multiply, with perpetrators protected by police incompetence and negligence. In this case, their negligence led to a young woman losing all hope and ending her life. Punjab’s Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has taken notice of the incident and the two officers responsible for the investigation have been suspended, but this is not enough. They should be dismissed and prosecuted for obstruction of justice and criminal negligence. An example must be made so that the police in Pakistan begin to take rape cases more seriously. *