Daily Times

The family of little Zainab want to see justice done. Indeed, Pakistan stands with them. But the answer lies not in publicly hanging Imran Ali, the man convicted of raping and murdering the seven-year-old back in January of this year.

It is therefore hoped that the courts will do the needful. As things currently stand, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has already referred the petition filed by Zainab’s father, in which he has called for a public execution, to a division bench. The LHC considers this the relevant source of jurisdiction given that Ali had been sentenced under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

And while we understand that the child’s family is not driven by vengeance but by wishing to affect a deterrence against child sex abuse — the truth is that public hangings do not serve this purpose. Rather, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the problem rests with the state. At least when it comes to failures at the governmental level that leave children unprotected. This is something, say HRW, that the last set-up never acknowledged. Moreover, in the last three years more than 700 cases of child sex abuse have been recorded in Kasur alone.

Thus the key rests in raising awareness and de-stigmatising the issue. As well as strengthening the criminal justice system. We would therefore like to see the incoming government outline a reform package of sorts that would focus on specialised training for both men and women police officers dealing with child abuse cases. Minors should also be given access to medical professionals including child psychologists. Additional efforts should be made towards setting up support networks for victims and their families. And then there is the necessary question of not just relying on pamphlets but formally introducing sex education into the syllabus.  This is not to mention tabling measures on childcare for the most socio-economically disadvantaged communities where both parents are forced to work long hours.

Admittedly, such steps will not bring changes overnight. But they are crucial to child safety and well-being; including if the worst should happen. The Pakistani state has to be in this for the long haul. It is the easiest thing in the world to drop the hangman’s noose. The hard part comes in the form of truly investing in this country’s children.  *

Published in Daily Times, July 1^st 2018.