WHEN the girl child is viewed as a lesser mortal and children are violated with alarming frequency, it is time to concede that the rot in society runs deep. While incidents of child abuse, rape and murder mount across the country, the nation refuses to rise in anger. Recently, a teenage girl was gang-raped by robbers in the presence of her family near Pakpattan; four armed men on motorcycles intercepted the victim’s car, snatched their car keys, stole cash, gold jewellery and mobiles, and took the girl to the roadside maize fields where she was tortured and gang-raped by two criminals, while the other two held her family hostage. Clearly, we are at the threshold of a rape crisis and the reason for it is our flimsy response; it aborts justice by perpetuating stigmatisation and victim-blaming.

The government and law enforcement have failed to protect children from sexual violence. More disgraceful is the fact that, despite improved awareness due to more reported cases, the attitude adopted by the criminal justice system towards rape cases remains problematic. The ruling elite is unshaken by data from Sahil — 11 children were abused daily in 2023, and a gender divide analysis of the statistics revealed that out of the total reported cases, 53pc were girl victims and 47pc boys. Moreover, in cultures where sexual crimes are treated as taboo, survivors are deprived of essential mental and medical support. Thus, holistic healing is as vital as justice for a safe society. Silence and scars create anti-social individuals who are unable to escape the cycle of crime. Reparation completes justice for the violated, along with preventive mechanisms in rural and urban areas that align with international criteria — CCTV monitoring, rapid response units, heightened patrolling, women personnel and robust care systems for all survivors. Lawmakers cannot tread wearily around the issue; they must tackle gender disparity, listen to victims and punish felons.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024