Still unidentified: Rickshaw driver booked in 15-year-old's rape case

Additional IG told to submit findings of the incident. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: 

In an abduction and rape case of a 15-year-old girl, Z*, an unidentified rickshaw driver was nominated as the suspect in the FIR registered at the Shahrah-e-Noor Jahan police station on Saturday.

On Friday evening, Z was found unconscious near a shopping centre in Phase I of Defence Housing Authority. She was brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) where she alleged that she was abducted by a rickshaw driver who was supposed to take her to North Karachi from her college in Sakhi Hasan on Friday afternoon.

Until the filing of the report, the girl had yet to record her statement with the police. However, SHO Tariq Mehmood said that a kidnapping and rape case had already been filed at the police station against the rickshaw driver on statement of the girl to her family. “We are working on the case and we will inform the media about our investigations soon,” he said.

Meanwhile, IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch issued directives to the additional IG to submit findings of the incident and ordered the police to arrest the culprits.

An official of the JPMC sharing the medico-legal report of the girl confirmed that she was raped. “She was very drowsy when she was brought to the hospital and we believe she was induced with some poisonous intake.”

The official further said her family took the girl away when she was admitted to the hospital’s poisoning control centre but was later brought back because of her drowsy state. However, the family took her back again late at night. “It is likely that because of the media personnel and the police officials present at the hospital, the family was unwilling to leave her at the hospital.”

The stomach of the girl had been cleaned of any poisonous substance and her blood samples had been sent for DNA testing, the official added.

Social stigma and taboo: 'Patriarchal mindset, weak legal system allow rape cases to soar'

"The response of the state is very weak against rape and sexual violence." PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: The rate of sexual violence is increasing in the country but, unfortunately, this menace is always pushed under the carpet, said a former chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women, Anis Haroon, on Thursday.

To discuss sexual violence, the stigma attached to it and its long-term impact on victims, the Social Sciences Department of Szabist and the Women Action Forum arranged a round table conference, ‘Opposing Violence in Pakistan: Identifying Challenges, Improving Responses’, at the Szabist Media Studio.

“If 10 men did what Veena Malik has done, their actions would still not be portrayed the way she is being portrayed. She hasn’t done anything which has not happened before.”

Between 2011 and 2012, there has been a 17 per cent increase in sexual violence, she said, adding that 77 per cent of the cases were reported against women, while 23 per cent were against men. “The response of the state is very weak against rape and sexual violence.”

Renowned lawyer Faisal Siddiqui brought to the fore the rising incidents of rape victims being killed and their mutilated bodies been found, adding that such kind of violence was alarming.

The state lacked the capacity to protect women from such violence. “No matter how good a law is, it will not yield any fruits because the state has collapsed.”

Criticising the criminal justice system, Siddiqui said approaching the judiciary was not really helpful as such cases took up to seven to 10 years to end.  He proposed the setting up of a support group for rape victims to ensure swift legal support.  “Run a feminist movement against rape to stop it.”

He came hard on lawyers, judiciary and the police, saying, “The lawyers are the biggest obstacles in the way of justice.” He was of the view that judges at the lower judiciary were male chauvinists as they give foolish judgments in many cases.

Sara Zaman, a former programme coordinator of War Against Rape, said that there were many complexities from the point when the incident takes place till the registering of a case. “The victim is very lucky if an FIR is registered within a week.” Zaman suggested that the society should condemn all rape cases instead of being selective.

South DIG Abdul Khaliq Shaikh admitted that due to the lack of training, there were problems in the police department when it came to handling such crimes.

He said that with the passage of time, however, gender-sensitisation and education of police officers had taken place.

“Because of NGOs and the media, the judiciary and police officers are taking such crimes seriously, but interest is lost very soon by all.”

Clearing the confusion if the victim should report the crime first or go for a medical checkup, Shaikh said that law was very clear that a case should be registered whenever reported.

The chief of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), Ahmed Chinoy, said, “Officially only two cases have been reported in this year so far,” adding that on an average six cases were reported at the CPLC that the police don’t come to know about. “The people should approach the CPLC with the hope that the incident would not be disclosed to anyone.”

Rise in rape

According to the data submitted to the committee, these have been especially high in Punjab, where the police registered 8,806 of the country’s total of 10,703 rape cases. PHOTO: FILE

While crime of all kinds has risen in the country, according to a report from the National Crisis Management Cell submitted to the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, the upsurge in cases of rape has been especially marked. According to the data submitted to the committee, these have been especially high in Punjab, where the police registered 8,806 of the country’s total of 10,703 rape cases. Twenty-two rape cases were registered in Gigit-Baltistan, 86 in Balochistan, 295 in Islamabad, 722 cases in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and an equal number in Sindh.

The rise can be attributed to the fact that more women are stepping forward to report rape. This would also go to explain the high figures in Punjab, as it has the highest rates of education, making it more likely that women would report cases of rape. The increase in the number of cases reported from conservative areas, including Balochistan and K-P, is also encouraging. But at the same time, it is worth noting that NGOs monitoring rape continue to believe that due to the social stigma attached to rape, the majority of cases that occur continue to go unreported. This is unfortunate, but we need to examine also if factors beyond social taboo are involved. Do women who report rape receive the emotional and psychological support they need — and do laws work for them?

The recent questions raised by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on the admissibility of DNA as primary evidence in rape cases highlight this. Naturally, if DNA is not used, convicting perpetrators becomes harder. Women also run the social risk of being accused of adultery if they cannot prove rape. This would become a bigger legal hazard if the CII’s recommendations on law, amending the Hudood Ordinance of 1979, were followed. All these matters need careful review so that reporting rape — a difficult task for women — can be made easier and support systems developed to help them through what remains a traumatic process for all victims.

Sexual abuse: Teacher arrested on suspicion of rape attempt

Complainant said that the suspect, a teacher at the Government Primary School Masaikewali, had entered their house and dragged his daughter into a room, where he tried to rape her. PHOTO: FILE.

GUJRANWALA / FAISALABAD: 

A man was arrested in Ahmad Nagar Chattha here on Sunday on suspicion of trying to rape a 16-year-old. Ahmad Nagar police said he would be produced before a magistrate on Monday (today).

Police said the suspect, a government school teacher, had tried to rape the girl on October 4 in Kalasara. An FIR had been registered on the complaint of the girl’s father.  The complainant had said that his daughter, a Quran teacher, was teaching some children at her home, while he and his wife were visiting a relative to condole the death of his father.

He said the suspect, a teacher at the Government Primary School Masaikewali, had entered their house and dragged his daughter into a room, where he tried to rape her.

He said his daughter’s students ran outside crying and some neighbours rushed into the house.

On seeing them the suspect started beating the girl pretending to be “punishing her for not learning a lesson”. When questioned, he told neighbours he was a respectable man. He then managed to flee.

The girl was taken to a hospital when her parents returned and a complaint saying that the suspect was threatening to kidnap the girl was filed with the police.

The complainant had also requested the chief minister to take notice of the incident.

Station House Officer Rana Sajjad Ahmad said the suspect had denied the allegation and said that the girl’s father had implicated him in a false case over a dispute over money.

15-year-old raped

A 15-year-old girl was raped in Faisalabad’s Chak 22-South on Saturday allegedly by two men from the neighbourhood.

Sillanwali police quoted the girl’s father as saying that his daughter had gone to fetch water from the neighbourhood well, when the two men, nominated in the FIR, kidnapped her and took her to an empty house nearby.

He said they raped her and when she tried to shout for help, they beat her so bad that she fainted.

He said the rapists fled, leaving his daughter in the house.

He said a few hours later, his daughter came to and started shouting for help. Some passer-by heard her and informed her father.

She was taken the Sillanwali police station, and the station house officer sent her to the district headquarters hospital for a medical examination.

The SHO told The Express Tribune that an FIR had been registered.

He said no one had been arrested so far. He said a police team had raided the suspects’ houses but not find them there. He said the police were waiting for the girl’s medical report.

The girl’s father said that the suspects enjoyed support of an influential man in the area. He said the police were hesitant to arrest the suspects. He said the suspects were roaming freely in the village.

‘Not talking about sex is not good for health’

" Instead of comforting girls going through these changes, society amplifies their discomfort," Najma, youth volunteer.

LAHORE: The general consensus among all participants was that the taboo associated with talking about reproductive and sexual health contributed to the lack of efforts being made to address the relevant issues.

An interactive dialogue session was organised by Rahnuma , the Lahore based wing of Family Planning Association of Pakistan, in collaboration with the United Nations Population on Friday. Parliamentarians from major political parties pledged to work towards legislation on SRH services. The primary focus was on ‘youth friendly’ sexual and reproductive health services and highlighting their importance in improving the quality of health. Founded in 1953, Rahnuma has worked extensively in areas of reproductive health and family planning.

Dr Mumtaz Esker, Population Wing director general identified low literacy levels as the major reason behind the taboo associated with sexual reproductive health (SRH) issues. She said that while people are willing to talk about ‘reproductive health’, they hesitated on issues of ‘sexual health’.

Volunteer at the Family Planning Association of Pakistan, Sadaf said, “Issues of puberty, harassment and reproduction are rarely talked about openly”.

Najma, a youth volunteer, said that phenomena like menstrual cycles are considered taboo subjects. “Instead of comforting young girls who are experiencing these changes, society amplifies their discomfort by imposing a silence on the subject”, she said.

Humaira Awais Shahid, a Punjab assembly member said that ‘sex education’ must be imparted within the bounds of social norms. “The widening divide between liberals and conservatives has affected the society’s approach towards sexual reproductive health issues”, she added.

Syed Kamal Shah, CEO of Rahnuma said that it was unfortunate that there was no documented SRH policy targeted specifically at the youth. Shah said the private sector too had failed to address the situation. “The informal SRH services, provided usually by quacks are the most popular but also the most dangerous”, he added.

Sajida Mir, a member of Punjab Assembly, said that the education, health, population welfare and youth ministries need to work together in a concerted effort to address SRH issues.

Dr Samia Amjad, another member of the assembly said that a proper framework should be established for school health services. She added that the development funds allocated to the women MPAs should be used instead for the youth and women welfare projects.

Aisha Qamar from the Gender Studies Department at Punjab University said that so far no cells had been formed in educational institutes to educate girls about sexual harassment.

Rahnuma’s Adolescents Programme Director, Amna Aksheed, said that the organisation was working towards providing comprehensive sexuality education and providing youth friendly SRH services through its 50 youth resource centres.

Aksheed added that almost 20% of the governing bodies of these centres consist of youth, making them more approachable for youngsters.

MPA, Mohsin Leghari, regretted that the policy makers often look for ‘instant satisfaction’ in policy formulation whereas programmes about SRH can only produce results in the long run. “In Iran a marriage licence is not issued unless the individuals involved get family planning counselling”, he added.

The Rahnuma- Family Planning Association of Pakistan formulated a guideline for offering youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services.  The report focuses on ensuring confidentiality of cases, being non-judgemental towards the youth, counselling and making them comfortable enough to approach reliable SRH experts.

Obamas welcome Malala to Oval Office

Washington D,C: Leader Barack Obama not to mention your partner's lover Michelle welcomed Pakistani schoolgirl activist Malala Yousafzai in the Square Clinic concerning Weekend.
At the time of day this lady was basically enacted finished for ones Nobel Piece Award, typically the Obamas hailed Malala, 14, to be with her "inspiring not to mention passionate" give good results regarding gals through Pakistan.
"The States ties together aided by the Pakistani families because of this a large number of across the world towards have a good time Malala's braveness not to mention their strength of mind to showcase an appropriate of their gals to wait higher education not to mention realise his or her's objectives, inches some Vivid white Residential home survey believed.
"We praise Malala's projects to help with making such objectives becoming reality. inches
Typically the 16-year-old, who had previously been strike by your militant for the purpose of championing girls' right to a particular coaching, was basically avoided for ones award, aided by the Nobel committee preferably instead honoring typically the Concern for ones Prohibition from Any chemical Weaponry.

Malala wants to be Pakistan’s prime minister some day

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