UNTIL the full force of the law is applied on perpetrators, insecurity will stalk Pakistan’s girl children and women. On Wednesday, it emerged that at least five underage schoolgirls were raped by their schoolteacher’s husband at a government school in Gujranwala. Reportedly, the accused had been violating the minors for a while; he took their photos and made videos to blackmail them, but one of his victims informed her parents about the ordeal. He was arrested by the police after the family registered a complaint against him and the school is temporarily closed on the orders of the Punjab government. During 2023, according to Roshni Helpline’s annual report, some 20 children went missing from their homes; they were sexually abused and then killed. All sad proofs that sensitive and progressive attitudes are crucial for justice because no dress code, age, space, social norm and status can prevent rape.

The rot runs deep; it even permeates the corridors of power where certain leaders crack rape jokes and take abhorrent public positions that make them rape apologists. But tone-deaf belief in instant justice — death penalty, police encounters and chemical castration — is not the solution as violent punishments brutalise societies. The moment of truth has arrived: our tendency to victim-shame and reliance on policing female liberties by law enforcement and politicians means that Pakistan has a rape culture. The Anti-rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021 widens the definition of rape, and makes the crime more indictable. In addition to bolstering and increasing its deterrents — anti-rape crisis cells, fast-track courts, nationwide registry of sex offenders — streets, parks, public transport, and safe spaces, such as schools, must be made safer with awareness programmes, CCTV cameras, helplines, patrolling and preventive gear, such as pepper sprays. We cannot afford slipshod investigations and abysmal conviction rates anymore. The state must make good on promises of safety and empowerment with a staunch commitment to justice.

Published in Dawn, September 7th, 2024