In Pakistan’s Punjab province last week, two men are accused of raping a 21-year-old American social media activist and YouTuber. Pakistani internet users were outraged by the occurrence and sought tougher punishment from the nation’s authorities.
Netizens were outraged by the tale when it first appeared online and demanded strong punishment for those responsible for the “shameless” deed. The internet users argued that foreigners cannot feel secure here if Pakistanis cannot. Reports state that they claimed a “lack of justice” was the root cause of these crimes.
According to a user, the nation deserves to bear “the sign of dishonor.”
Someone else tweeted, “She feels terrible about what happened to her. We are now ranked 83rd for tourism and 26th for visitor safety (0-33 most dangerous). In addition to punishing offenders, society must stop tolerating such horrible acts and the participants.”
“I have no idea where the country is headed. We failed to instill respect for all women in our children. We did not safeguard our girls. The only thing our politicians care about is playing musical chairs, “a different user said.
The US citizen was traveling when she was sexually raped in a hotel room in Dera Ghazi Khan’s Fort Monroe hill station on the evening of July 17. The woman had lived in Pakistan for the previous seven months on a tourist visa, according to police sources.
“The American girl had travelled to Fort Monroe from Karachi on the invitation of her social media buddy Muzmal Sipra, whose house she visited on Sunday in Rajanpur area of Punjab, about 550 kilometers from Lahore,” said Deputy Commissioner of Dera Ghazi Khan Anwar Baryar.
After the survivor submitted a First Information Report (FIR) at the Border Military Police (BMP) station at the Fort Munro hill station, the incident was made public. According to the FIR, the woman was violated on the night of July 17 in a hotel room by Muzmal Sipra and Shehzad of Rajanpur.
In addition, the complainant claimed that Sipra had threatened her, pressuring her not to file a lawsuit.
Under Sections 376 and 292b of the Pakistan Penal Code, the BMP filed a complaint against Dera Ghazi Khan residents Sipra, Shehzad, and Azan Khosa.
The alarmingly high number of incidences of violence against women in Pakistan puts women’s safety at risk and worries the authorities.
In a recent report, the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) and the Centre for Research, Development and Communication identified a rise in domestic violence incidents and violence against women as two trends in Pakistan.
The report states that in June, 157 women were abducted nationwide in Pakistan, 112 were physically abused, and 91 were sexually assaulted.
Punjab reported the most rape instances with 53, followed by 16 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 14 in Sindh, 6 in Islamabad, and 2 in Balochistan.
In the preceding week, Lahore, the capital of the Punjab province, reported a significant number of sexual assault incidents. The disturbing frequency of the instances forced the Pakistani police to assess the Gender-Based Violence Cell’s overall effectiveness.
The Global Gender Gap Index for Pakistan has been worse over time, according to past reports. Pakistan was ranked 143 in 2017 but dropped to 148 in 2018.
Pakistan placed 153 out of 156 nations, or among the bottom four, on the gender parity index of the previous year’s “Global Gender Gap Report 2021.”
According to a recent report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), over 22,000 rape instances have been reported to police in Pakistan over the past six years, with at least 11 cases being recorded every day (2015-21).
