INCEST is not a mere violation. Perpetrated and covered up by family for ‘family honour’, it is a horrific crime that mauls a young life and turns homes into a place of abuse, sometimes leading to teen suicides. Pakistan, tragically, is no stranger to the sickness: the tormented lives of minors have been uncovered frequently. In 2021, Kasur police arrested a man for raping his daughter; she stated that she complained to relatives but they stayed silent. Early last year, Pakistanis breathed fire at a university lecturer who had set an exam paper that included a question about incest. The same year, a 14-year-old girl in Lahore killed her father for raping her multiple times for months. Last week, the body of a girl in Toba Tek Singh was exhumed for autopsy due to suspicions of incest by her brother and father; she was allegedly pregnant. A gruesome video of her murder — featuring the accused — went viral on social media amid public outrage.

These are hidden victims forced to wear a shroud of silence, while their violators are either around them or have easy access to them. So much so, that, reportedly 60pc to 70pc of such incidents go unreported, because the child cannot admit to incestuous abuse. On disclosure, adults advise secrecy. According to a WAR report in 2021, the most frequently reported abuse cases are of incest; almost 60pc minors subjected to sexual abuse are victims of incest in Pakistan. The path to justice requires a drastic overhaul, with a sensitised legal fraternity and thana settings, so that advocates are not shy of taking up incest cases and families are not asked to drop charges. Moreover, increased state support is needed for mothers to report sick-minded family members. In this criminal set-up, an abuser’s actions are normalised for the child as is silence for the mother. The stigma must be erased, with fewer procedural and societal hurdles.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2024