In the latest series of attacks against women, an unsuspecting woman was raped by two armed men in Islamabad’s F-9 park while taking a casual stroll with a colleague. Held at gunpoint, physically assaulted and shoved into a thicket where she was ultimately raped even after she offered to give them money in exchange for leaving her alone. She was then instructed to avoid walking around after sunset as if that is what necessitated the crime. Her aggressors were clearly playing into an age-enduring tradition of victim-blaming that continues to hound women in this country at every turn. Over 14,000 women were raped in just four years with Punjab reporting the highest number of cases. It’s safe to assume that these statistics barely scratch the surface of the actual figure, which remains unknown due to underreporting. Women are constantly told to ‘not get raped’ as if it is their prerogative to avoid something that they cannot exercise any control over. Safety in public spaces simply isn’t a privilege Pakistani women can afford. Pakistan’s most problematic categorisation of rape was introduced as part of the Hudood Ordinances which classified rape in the same category as fornication and adultery, which is starkly at odds with how most legislatures around the globe categorise the crime. Although the country has since taken legislative efforts to reclassify rape as a non-compoundable offence, it is evident that most people haven’t moved beyond the primitive misconceptions of the Hudood Ordinances. Rape culture in Pakistan isn’t just systemic, it is rigidly enforced. It wasn’t too long ago that a jirga in Multan authorized the rape of a 16-year-old girl as retribution for her brother assaulting another girl. The council was later arrested, a rare event that does not represent the majority of these cases. Victims usually refrain from filing criminal charges due to the stigma associated with speaking up. The state’s failure to act decisively in these instances is largely to blame for these tragedies which will continue to penetrate our collective conscience until we make it our agenda to protect women and their well-being. *