‘Rape’ on campus: HRCP finds no credible evidence

LAHORE : A fact-finding mission conducted jointly by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) and AGHS Legal Aid Cell has stated that in the absence of forensic evidence and credible testimonies, it is not possible to conclusively establish the veracity of widespread allegations that a student was sexually assaulted at a private college in Lahore earlier in October 2024.

A chain of events appears to have created acute suspicion and mistrust among students at private college Campus 10. These events include a spate of social media content making unverified claims of rape, contradictory statements by government representatives (who initially endorsed the claims and then denied them), and the delayed, ham-fisted response of the college administration to these allegations.

The mission has strongly condemned the use of disproportionate force against hundreds of students at Campus 10 on 14 October, who had launched a mass protest demanding ‘justice’ for the alleged victim of rape but were subjected to police violence.

However, the hyper-engagement of online spaces points to evidence of other parties who attempted to hijack the students’ narrative and use it to amplify their own outreach on social media.

The mission observes that students’ response underlines their serious dissatisfaction with the state of security on campuses and perceived frequency of sexual harassment and victim blaming. This was compounded by a seeming lack of motivation on the part of campus administrations to address the issue and a deep mistrust of the police and college administration. The mission believes that the intensity of students’ ire should not be discounted solely because of the apparent role of misinformation. At the same time, the damage wrought by pervasive misinformation is grounds for strong, regular public campaigns on digital literacy and fact-checking.

Among other recommendations, the mission suggests conducting a forensic investigation of the CCTV footage collected on Campus 10 over the first two weeks of October and holding the police accountable for violence against student protesters as well as for detaining a person accused of the alleged offence in the absence of an FIR against him. The mission strongly believes, however, that concerns of harassment and sexual violence on campus must always be taken seriously and effective anti-harassment committees instituted on all campuses that can be accessed easily by students while respecting their right to confidentiality.