KARACHI: Over 700 sex-related cases reported last year: WAR
By Bhagwandas
KARACHI, June 2: As many as 728 sex-related crimes were reported in the city during the year 2004, says a report prepared by an NGO, the War Against Rape (WAR). It investigated 57 cases reported by print media, and found that only 15 surviving victims appeared willing to move a court to seek justice. In other cases, the reasons for the victims’ unwillingness to pursue their cases were lengthy judicial process, social and family pressures, unendurable method of cross-examination, etc.
According to the NGO, among the 15 cases in courts, five pertained to gang- rape and four each related to rape and sodomy, the rest being the cases of incest. The victims’ age ranged from four to 40 years.
Ms Amna Mehwish, coordinator of WAR, told Dawn that her organization provided legal aid to victims of rape, sexual abuse of children and domestic violence. A psychologist associated with the NGO consoles such victims and their families and provides them all the required support to cope with the situation.
She said that WAR team would visit a victim and the concerned police, as well as the hospital having carried out the medico-legal examination, before collecting more information from other relevant places. If the information satisfies the NGO that it is rally a case of rape, and if the victim is also ready to pursue the case, the WAR extends the victim free legal aid.
She observed: “The society’s mindset is not supportive of the victim and in most of the cases, even the family adopts a hostile attitude with the victim who, after going through the ordeal, deserves sympathy. The process of investigation and the cross-examination is also unfavourable to the victim owing to which many such victims, initially willing to pursue the case, shy away at a later stage, ultimately providing some sort of undue benefit to the culprit.”
Ms Mehwish suggested that the concerned officials, police personnel and lower judiciary be imparted relevant training so that they could be sensitized on these matters and made to realize the agony of a victim. Corrective measures should also be taken against the lengthy litigation process involved as this appeared to be one of the major reasons preventing a victim from pursuing the case.
Similarly, she said, the medico-legal departments at various hospitals should be provided with modern facilities essentially required to carry out medical examination.
She pointed out that the WAR had prepared a specimen medico-legal form that could provide maximum possible information about the case and victims. The form had been presented to the government for use by MLOs but the same has not yet been approved and adopted. She indicated that that medical examination and MLO’s report were crucial evidences in a rape case. Improper examination or faulty reports could benefit the offender, she added.
She said that there were no rape crisis centres and no national studies on rape in this country. Rape victims rarely get justice and in many cases, the victim is accused of being responsible for the tragedy.
Ms Mehwish said that WAR provided psychological therapy to rape victims so that they could resume their normal life. Two women, subjected to rape last year, were provided the therapy and got married recently, she said.
She said there were instances where innocent people were implicated in rape cases. In this regard, she made mention of a pesh imam against whom four rape cases had been lodged one after the other. “When WAR investigated the matter, it transpired that the pesh imam was at odds with some criminals running a gambling den next to the mosque where he was performing as pesh imam. In order to deter the pesh imam from forcing them close down the den, the criminals had resorted to implicate him in rape cases to defame him and get him punished,” Ms Mehwish revealed.
