A girl, only in her late teens, self-immolated this week in Muzaffargarh
after police refused to act on her claim she was gang-raped by police. She was
rushed to a nearby hospital, but died of her injuries.
In April this year, Amna Bibi, another 18-year-old girl from
Muzaffargarh district died after setting herself ablaze in
protest against a police report that led to the release of her rapist.
Last year, a woman from Dera Gazi Khan set herself on fire as a protest
against the attitude of the Punjab police for setting her rapists free.
During the last couple of years, the crime rate in Pakistan,
specifically women, has increased to a great extent. This can be seen in
various categories, such as rape, sexual abuse and murder. A report released by
War Against Rape (WAR) group highlights that of 60 reported cases of rape, 20%
involved police officers. According to Women's Action Forum, up to seventy-two
percent of women in custody in Pakistan are physically or sexually abused.
In a country like Pakistan where there are only a few laws protecting
women; and bodies like Council of Islamic Ideology that seem obsessed with limiting
women’s capacities as house-bound objects and refuse to put any focus on laws
that govern child marriage and rape –
enjoy so much influence in the society.
It is high time that the state fulfils its primary responsibility of
protecting the lives of women of Pakistan as equal citizens as per
constitutional mandate. The whole system of the police in Pakistan needs to be revamped and
reformed based on new laws involving women in line with the international
standards.
Bushra
2145 hours
Monday 26 October 2015
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