Pakistan witnessed another horrific crime on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway. Instead of condemning the incident, Lahore’s CCPO Umar Sheikh, in his first interview after the incident, implied that the victim shared the responsibility of her rape. His callous statement is another reason why women need feminist movements in the country. Instead of telling women ‘how to avoid rape’, he should have accepted the system’s inability to protect women. Even though the CCPO later apologised for his callous remarks, the damage had already been done.
These misogynistic remarks, especially from senior officials, are the very reason why most rape cases go unreported. In our male-dominated society, women find it difficult to live. Every other day we learn about the cases where a woman or girl is raped or killed. It is time the government took drastic measures to stop such incidents.
Kainat Zehra
Karachi