LAHORE: “Many men condemn rape but they do not raise their voice against it actively,” says Abdul Khaliq Shah while launching the Lahore chapter of the Pakistani Men against Rape (PMAR).

Rape is not a crime just against women, it is a crime against society, says Shah, the coordinator of the Lahore chapter.

“Condemnation of rape, specifically by men, should be heard more clearly,” he continues. “It is crucial for more people to take a stand and there is no reason why we cannot rid out our society of this heinous crime against women”.

PMAR’s launch here on Tuesday also coincided with the upcoming 16 days of activism against gender-based violence in collaboration with the Pakistan Nari Tehreek – an alliance of women leaders – which has already been working on the issue for some years.

Shah says men must stop protecting rapists in any way possible and start redefining the concepts and practices like that of machismo. He thinks the primary problem in speaking or writing about rape is that the words used are either biased or they do not depict the crime properly.

“First of all, we must stop blaming the rape survivor for the crime. This blame is reflected in the choice of words, especially in the Urdu media, where the woman is termed as having her honour snatched away from her (izzat lut gaee),” he argues.

The PMAR agreed upon the word ‘zabarjinsi’, which was recently first used in newly-released film, Verna.

“The word, if dissected, shows the aspect of force or zabardasti as well as ‘zabar’ which means above or higher. The latter part would obviously point to a sexual act,” said Nadeem Fazil Ayaz advocate. “Otherwise, the words Zina Bil Jabr only points to fornication. The concept of rape is not fully described in Islam or our constitution.”

He said it was important to choose the right words; otherwise, the issues are misunderstood.

“Dishonour (beizzati) or disrespect (bayhurmati) are other words need to go in this context.”

The PMAR members also appreciated the film Verna, saying it is a bold and brave move in the country’s history of not only filmmaking but also television.

“Despite some issues with the film, the dialogues are brave and the theme itself is daring,” says Shah.

“Shoaib Mansoor’s coinage of the word Zabarjinsi is also commendable. The word covers every gender, not just women.”

Otherwise, Shah continues, the word rape is not used in the constitution for men, even if a male child is raped. Since transgender persons do not fall into any constitutional category yet there is no concept of them surviving the crime either.

Muhammad Asger, a senior member of the group, thinks taking the issue of rape for wider debate is important.

“Shoaib Mansoor is a man who has always raised women’s issues. We are inspired by the brave initiative of Verna. No producer would have taken the risk of choosing this topic and yet targeting families.”

Advocate Nadeem says the conviction rate in rape cases is low, but a couple of reasons could be out of court settlements and compromises. However, he adds, that the punishment for rape is from 10 to 25 years of prison or death sentence.

Published in Dawn, November 22nd, 2017