Pakistan outraged over police convict mother of victim-gang rapist

Pakistan is in shock after robbers gangraped a woman in front of her children near the motorway. But in a country where sexual violence against women is common, why have people taken to the streets and demanded change, asked the BBC’s Saira Asher.

Pakistani women are always advised by family members or relatives not to go out late at night, or make sure they have a male companion with them for their safety.

But when a high-ranking police officer, accused of searching for the attackers, found the victim partially out of hand after dark. When held accountable, he ignited a fury.

Comments that were not previously questioned in public are now being victimized.

“Blaming the victim is to determine the character of the woman, whether she is a victim or not; it has been ingrained in our society for many decades,” says Moniza Ahmed, a participant in the feminist group.

“So this reaction is a sign that our society is listening, changing and many more women are speaking.”

What happened in ‘Motorway Rape’?

At 3 a.m. on September, the woman ran east on the Lahore-bound motorway filled with fuel. Her two children were with her.

She called her relatives in Gujranwala, who advised her to call the motorway emergency number and she was also dispatched for help.

According to a complaint lodged with the police by a relative of the woman, the car was smashed by two men in the early 30-50s, who stole money and jewelery from her. They raped her in front of her two children on a nearby farm and she later escaped.

Police say she is still shocked, although she did provide them with some original descriptions of her attackers.

The next day, Lahore’s most senior police officer, Umar Sheikh, appeared before the media and suggested that she be partially released. Has been blamed. She questioned why she didn’t take a busy route when she was alone with the kids, or had checked her fuel before saying goodbye.

He reiterated these points in several TV appearances, adding that the woman, who is a resident of France, seems to be operating under the impression that Pakistan is as safe as France.

The reaction was unprecedented in the country and came from all over the region.

People on social media called him for his victim-blame.

Federal Prime Minister Shirin Mazari said on Twitter, “An official effectively accused a woman of gangrape, the question of why she should have taken the GT Road or why she went out at night with her children is not acceptable. And has raised the issue. Crime can never be rationalized. Just. “

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, like many others, condemned the remarks.

Ms Ahmed says she and others are “fighting against a patriarchal mentality; women are being convicted of rape, or not being able to go out at night with her children, or if she does she is called insolent” .

‘Brave women’ are demanding change

Apologies this week for his comments have done little to quell the anger directed at the police chief.

Rima Omer, South Asia’s legal adviser to the International Committee of the International Court of Justice, said: “It was a wonderful thing to have representatives from all political parties raising this issue on television, activists, academics;

Protest marches are taking place in major cities across the country. There is a demand for reform in the police and in the medical-legal, court and prison systems.

For the victim, all this money can do nothing. Very few cases of rape are reported in Pakistan and very few are successful.

Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry told the National Assembly this week that an average of 1,000 rape cases are reported each year and that%% are convicted. The rights group says the true figure is too low, and points out that many rape cases are never considered by police.

Women are intimidated by the humiliation and social judgment of police officers if the police are exposed.

Speaking to BBC Urdu, lawyer and social activist Hina Jillani said the police and judiciary needed to be trained to make them more sensitive to crimes such as rape. And to improve the method of collection and investigation of forensic evidence to improve the validity rate.

In 2002, the Mukhtar Maina case made international headlines when a village council order decided to take legal action against men who gangraped her.

After a long legal battle – already an extraordinary act in a country where many women have been raped, they take their own lives instead of reporting their cases – in 2011 five of the six men accused of rape were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

But, the reaction to the motorway rape, as it is known, or known as victim-guilty, would have been inconceivable when the Mukhtar Mino case came into the world’s headlights.

In recent years, Pakistan has seen the growth of a more vocal and social-media-savvy group of feminists that are challenging social norms that severely restrict women’s freedom.

“Now we have women who are expressing themselves on social media and going to the mainstream media and that has shaped our discourses,” she said. Says Omar.

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