An 18-year-old girl was kidnapped and gang-raped on M-4 Motorway, after getting a fraudulent employment offer via text message.
After being kidnapped, the girl belonging to Toba Tek Singh was reportedly brutally tortured by the gang. The victim is believed to be 18 years old, and her name is Iram ul Nisa. Two guys called Hamad and Rehman, as well as a girl named Laiba pushed Irum into a car and drove her to Faisalabad through the M4 motorway. Hamad and Rehman sexually assaulted Irum in the moving automobile and then threw out the victim at Faisalabad interchange.
According to the authorities, the victim has undergone the appropriate medical examinations and a DNA sample has been acquired. Although the perpetrators remain on the run, police are continuing their investigation and have filed an FIR against the suspects. Today, police apprehended prime accused in the gang-rape of an 18-year-old female, while raids were underway to apprehend two more suspects.
According to the FIR, the complainant’s niece received a text message on her phone inviting her to come to Gojra for a job interview at a shop. She stated that when we arrived at the specified place, accused Laiba requested that the girl be sent with the other passengers in the car, saying that she would be returned following the interrogation. The complainant, on the other hand, claimed that the three drove the girl to Faisalabad, where two males raped her in the car. The accused then escaped with the girl from Gojra Interchange, the FIR stated.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has also taken note of the event and instructed the appropriate authorities to apprehend the suspects immediately.
It should be mentioned that a lady was also gang-raped last year along the same highway in Lahore’s Gujjarpura neighborhood. The cops had apprehended the suspects of the event.
At least 11 rape occurrences are reported each day in Pakistan, with over 22,000 rape offenses submitted to authorities in the previous six years. However, just 77 people have been sentenced, representing 0.3% of the total. These data were given by the Pakistan Police, Law, and Justice Commission, the Pakistan Human Rights Commission, the Women’s Foundation, and provincial welfare groups. According to a Geo News survey, due to cultural pressures and legal loopholes, just 41% of rape occurrences are reported to the police.
This debate is far from finished; Pakistan is rated fourth-worst in the recently released Women, Peace, and Security Index for women. Pakistan was ranked 150th out of 153 countries in terms of women’s inclusion, justice, and security, with the highest degree of gender discrimination and the lowest financial inclusion.
Despite numerous government and non-government efforts, such as the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act (PPWVA), Punjab witnessed a massive increase in crime from January 2019 to the first seven months of 2020, with 3,885 cases of rape, 1361 cases of child sexual abuse, 1131 cases of child abuse, 1768 cases of violence against women, 12,650 cases of female kidnapping, and 213 cases of honor killing registered, putting the authorities to shame.
The number of recorded incidents does not properly represent the actual number of occurrences, since the bulk of these incidents are either not reported or are addressed at the family level.
Numerous reasons and causes for this rising rape are already known and recognized. Now is the moment to bring about a solution. Special efforts must be undertaken to effectively reduce the incidences of these diseases in society. Media efforts to raise awareness about women’s rights and sex education are critical, since speaking about sexual-related topics, whether positive or negative, is frowned upon by society.
It is suggested that gender studies be included in the basic school curriculum. Parents must address gender issues with their children, since restraining children from their inquisitive inquiries may create problems in them. Finally, vigorous enforcement of the laws enacted to protect women and children from violence is essential to eradicate this stigma in society. Otherwise, it’s unsurprising that Pakistan would be ranked as the worst nation for women.
Author is a Lahore College for Women University graduate. She writes with zeal and believes that there is nothing greater than words to express herself.