Malik Javed Jabbar
Rape is considered as a global problem and according to World Health Organization (WHO), every one in three women suffer from physical or sexual violence at some stage in their life. Pakistan is facing increased Malapertly of rape cases and this is creating a sense of insecurity among women. Punjab province, being the major province of Pakistan by population, has recorded more cases of rape than any other province. Regardless of several government and non-government efforts, such as Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act (PPWVA), A massive increase in crime rate was witnessed in 2019 to first 7 months of 2020 as 3,885 cases of rape, 1361 cases of child sexual abuse,1131 cases of child abuse, 1768 cases of violence againts women, 12,650 cases of kidnapping of women and 213 cases of honour killing were registered in punjab, putting the authorities shame.The above mentioned number of cases does not truly reflect the actual number of Malapertly because most of these cases are either not reported or negotiated at family level. There are many causes for these increased Malapertly.(A) Family structure and norms in most of the ethnic groups in Pakistan are established in such a way that after being raped, the individual or his/her family members try to hide the incidence out of expected dishonor in the society.(B) Unawareness of after-effects of rape on the part of community is leading to increased. (C) Sex education is often avoided or not being considered necessary, especially for minors, which has also lead to increased sexual abuse Malapertly.(d) Most of the female individuals and families as a whole are unaware of the legal procedures to follow after being victim of the rape. (e) Many cases in the rural areas are not being registered which is the main cause of increase in number of serial rapist.Special actions need to be taken for effectively lessening these Incidences in society. Media campaigns for awareness regarding women rights and sex education is needed as it is considered against the norms of the society to discuss about sexual related issues: whether good or bad. It is suggested that a topic about gender studies may be included in the school level education. Parents need to talk about gender related issues with their children because counteracting children from their curious questions may create frustrations in them. In the end, solid implementation of the laws made for protection of violence against women and children is required for putting off this slur in the society.
– The writer is a Student of Sindh Muslim law college Karachi.
