Sir: It is a matter of absolute shame that more than 68 percent of women in Pakistan are sexually harassed. Every single day countless women are tortured, raped, assaulted in ways that are ridiculously painful. Regardless of your surroundings or no matter how conscious or covered you are, a few men will cunningly find their way into making some kind of physical contact with you. It could range from touching and fondling to passing sexually explicit remarks or vulgar messages and phone calls and everything in between. Things are already too hard for women and the inappropriate behaviour of some men turn their lives into an ordeal every time they step out of their homes. What is more saddening is that the victims of sexual harassment so often stay quiet over this injustice because they do not want to embarrass themselves or their families by talking about something as insulting as this. These matters are hushed up as no single woman wants to become the trashy talk of the town. That practice has given even more power to some of those sick men out there who treat women as mere objects of interest that can be toyed with whenever there is an opportunity. It is about time that men should learn to respect females not only because they are someone’s daughter, wife or sister but because they too are human beings that have been granted equal rights in life. There are strict laws in our constitution regarding sexual harassment and people should be forced to follow them or otherwise be penalised. Furthermore, the media is highly influential nowadays and it should also work towards highlighting this issue in order to counteract its psychological aftereffects. Sexual exposure in the movies and dramas should be excessively minimised and highly discouraged. It might not be the ultimate solution but it could surely help us in weakening the basis of this menace that has rooted itself so deeply in our society. AIMEN RAFIQUE Karachi