Pakistan's real problem with rape
Activists argue that crimes against women are not an "image problem". They say such crimes - especially rape - result from a combination of tribalism, retrogressive cultural values and a criminal justice system in a state of deep rot. These cases either involve allegations of rape against policemen or accusations that the tribal bodies have perverted the course of justice. Earlier this week, a young woman alleged that she had been gang raped by four policemen in Rawalpindi. One officer was arrested and three others are missing. The woman said the policemen barged into her house, locked her husband and uncle in a room and raped her. Last week, a 23-year-old woman from Faisalabad went public with her accusations against police in the city. A week before that, a married woman with two children in Karachi said she had been gang raped by four local men but a jirga prevented her from reporting the matter to the police. In the case of one woman from Karachi, the police refused to register a case of rape for over a month - during which time she says she was repeatedly threatened by her rapists. She eventually had to play what is known in Karachi as the "ethnic card". She is a Mohajir - a name given to Urdu-speaking migrants from India at the time of partition - while her rapists were native Sindhis. She went to the headquarters of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - an influential Mohajir-dominated party - with her case.
posted by Unknown @ 11:08 AM
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