Daily Times

Pakistan is going backwards. At a time when alliances across the world have made ending violence against minors their top priorities, the systemic rape culture continues to be reinforced–at every level–around us. That the shocking details of a said abduction and gang rape of a 14-year-old in Faisalabad (or Sukkur, according to some) managed to fall on deaf ears, is a tight slap on those who claim to be living in safer times. What could be more embarrassing than the fact that we have come to terms with the gross idea that men simply cannot be expected to control their sexual impulses after laying eyes upon any lightweight? The dreadful allegations of these perpetrators playing a religion card! As per viral reports making rounds on social media, the poor victim was tortured to recite the Kalima. There’s more! Upon her refusal, the suspects reportedly shaved her head.

Given the many, many ugly layers that make up this abhorrent crime, the ruling PTI must bring the full might of law upon its investigation. We cannot afford to waste any time in ensuring a proper, fool-proof prosecution. Already, the privacy of the victim has been egregiously compromised after her graphic picture spearheaded a campaign by netizens. While Twitter hashtags called on PM Khan to take immediate action against the perpetrators, police officials in Faisalabad and Sukkur have jumped to denials of any such crime taking place in their respective cities.

There can be no denying of the dismal reality that with every such case, humanity takes a deeper plunge into a dark, dreary, loathsome pit. Child abuse is a heinous reality that continues to plague Pakistan. Last November, a co-accused murdered a suspect just a day after he was arrested for raping a woman as well as her five-year-old daughter. A month before, an eight-year-old was found hanging from a tree in Killa Abdullah. He had been strangled to death after the rapists were done with him. Who can forget the horrific details of the rape and murder of Kasur’s Zainab? The bone-chilling list continues. We are decades behind in putting the onus where it matters–the rapists–instead of indulging in the senseless details of what (the victim was wearing?), where (was she standing outside the “chaar diwari?) and when (because monsters are set loose upon us after sundown). However, this obsession with pushing the onus onto the victim sounds even more foolish when talking about children. For minors lack the agency to stop the unwanted harassment. Most of the times, they are not taken seriously when they confide their agony in someone. It is this nonchalance that makes them the perfect targets for the sick monsters moving within us. And this vulnerability is what Islamabad needs to consider before pulling its socks.

Already, the religious affiliation of the victim has rendered extra sensitivity to the abuse case. Going by the previous examples, hawks sitting on the other side of the border would not bat an eyelid before needlessly interfering in Pakistan’s internal matter using the minority card. It would be unwise to forget the scathing attacks by former Indian minister Sushma Swaraj when two young Hindu girls were allegedly abducted in Sindh. Since Pakistan’s reputation as a haven for the white in its flag is already on the rocks, we need a proactive nexus of government and security agencies. It is a matter of life and death. Quite literally speaking! *