A LEADING American university is facing charges filed by a former student who has alleged that seven fraternity members sexually assaulted her after she was pressured to consume alcohol and drugs on campus. The civil lawsuit, filed last month, has brought renewed focus on the university and the authorities that had initially declined prosecution. The alleged violence is horrifying, and the handling of her complaint demands a searching examination.

Reflecting back, when my niece had received a scholarship for studying in Copenhagen, our family confronted a question familiar to countless Pakistani households: should a young woman travel abroad alone and live independently for three years? I was at the time serving at Pakistan’s embassy in France. The family consulted me, and I encouraged them to support her.

I trusted that the institutions around her would protect her freedom, dignity and safety. In due course of time, she completed her studies and returned to Pakistan with her qualification and a lot of happy memories.

Today, I am settled in the United States and my daughter is a university student who takes a bus ride every day. My confidence in the Western system was shaken when during her journey home one day, an adult man approached her, forced his telephone number on her and pressured her to date him. His intimidating behaviour turned an ordinary commute into an unsettling experience. The recent allegations cited above have only deepened a father’s fears. Families send their children to universities with dreams. Neither the campus nor the journey home should become a place where intimidation restricts their freedom.

In the current case, the girl had reported the alleged assault to police in November 2024, but the entire government machinery, instead of taking the matter seriously and conducting a thorough investigation, stood with the system and protected the abhorrent rapists.

However, she gathered the courage once again and nearly two years later, her pursuit of accountability has triggered a national controversy. Every institution involved must answer a question: what did you do when she first asked for help?

International students often face additional obstacles, like distance from family, unfamiliar procedures, language barriers and uncertainty about whom to trust. Universities that recruit them must provide accessible, independent assistance. The promise of a world-class education carries a duty of care that cannot disappear when a complaint becomes inconvenient. Policies matter only when they are enforced, and leadership means accepting responsibility when enforcement fails.

Qamar Bashir
Michigan, USA

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2026