Adil Najam
Sometimes you see a headline that just stops you in your tracks and makes you wonder. I saw such a headline in The Daily Times today: “At Least 100 Rapes in Karachi a Day.“
The story is reporting a statement by Dr. Zulfiqar Siyal, Additional Police Surgeon (APS), Karachi, where he claims that on average, 100 women are raped in Karachi every 24 hours. It takes a little careful reading to realize that he is not saying that this is the number of actual rapes per day, but that he thinks that it must at least be this much and possibly more. In fact, he himself points out that the number of reported rapes are much less, because of the social stigma of reporting such a crime.
I have no reason to is agree with the statement from the APS. Indeed, I have plenty of reason to believe that he is right and that the real number of rapes must be much more. But I did want to make sure that readers interpret the news report properly. Excerpts from the report.
On average, 100 women are raped every 24 hours in Karachi city alone, and a majority of them are working women, said Additional Police Surgeon (APS) Dr Zulfiqar Siyal. A majority of them are working class women or those working as domestic help and are mostly up to 20 years old, he said.
“I am saying with full authority that such a large number of rape cases happen in the city,†he told Daily Times on the sidelines of a discussion on sexual violence organised by the Aurat Foundation on Monday. “But very few rape survivors have the courage to come forward in search of justice.†They do not come forward because of the lengthy medical process and delayed justice system in Pakistan. Only 0.5 percent of cases are reported and the majority (99.5 percent) of survivors prefers to stay silent.
Part of the problem is that there are 11 medico-legal sections in three major public sector hospitals but there are only six women medico-legal officers (WMLOs) for the 18 million population of Karachi. “I am sure that there are more than 100 rape cases every day … but you can gauge how many are reported from the official data which says that during the last eight months (between January to August 2008) a total of 197 cases were reported,†Dr Siyal said. The WMLOs also face a lot of problems, he said. Karachi is also short on hospitals where rape survivors can go through the entire medical examination. “It isn’t just medical facilities but you won’t find a single women police officer (WPO) in any of the total 101 police stations of the city,†he said.
I think that even more important than the number he gives is the point he makes about the majority of rape victims in Karachi being working class women or those working as domestic help, 20 years old or younger. My own sense would be that the situation is not much different anywhere else in Pakistan, whether in terms of the numbers or in terms of who the victims are. I am very glad that the APS has spoken up. I wish more people would, including more victims. However, I can understand all the reasons why many victims do not. As in many societies, this crime persists because the social stigma is attached to the victim even more than the culprit. It is but one aspect of the deeper scars of violence against women.
As with so many other crimes against humanity, rape this a crime that thrives on silence. Not only the silence of the victim, but the silence of society. When, as in this case, the silence is broken, one feels empowered. One hopes that others will break the silence too.
Also see:
Silent Against Domestic Violence
Violence Against Women: Breaking Down Walls
Being Woman in Pakistan
Celebrating the Lives of Pakistani Women
Changing Rape Laws in Pakistan
Empower the women and educate the people is the most durable solution to address this problem. Empowering and educating the masses in the current lawlessness sounds very difficult. But thats our only hope meanwhile we should speak up against these crimes.
I have this idea that some NGO with the help of police should print brochures and distribute them among working women. Something that tells them about how to report the crime, how to get help and support to deal with the trauma, where to go, whom to trust, etc. Also women should be educated about how they protect themselves better. Though I think women are a lot more smart and they can read the eyes of a dirty minded criminal. But I think they should learn how to deal with sexual harrassment at the workspace and beyond.
100 per day is a pretty big number and I’m sure the actual number is much less than that, seeing that Dr. Zulfiqar is just hazarding a guess – not that it isn’t worrying enough.
It is the way our sick society works, unfortunately, that nobody has the courage to come forward and seek justice. There’s probably more oppression inside our homes than we can imagine, and that’s sad.
Is the outrage tied with a number?
Is 1 rape too little, 100 sounds good and 1000 too many?
Is the location important? Lahore, Karachi, jail, thana? NYC? London, Tokyo, Paris?
Am I missing something here? Why is the number important? Will it be more important if you were a victim or less if you did not know the victim? Why is the location important?
***The outrage should be that there is a single person who has been violated.***
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Rape happens when there is a power imbalance. Rape happens when boundaries are crossed. And rape happens without consent.
This is one survey:
1 in 4 women surveyed were victims of rape or attempted rape
84% of those raped knew their attacker
Only 27% of women whose sexual assault met the legal definition of rape thought of themselves as rape victims
84 % of the men who committed rape said that what they did was definitely not rape.
41 % of the raped women said they expect to be raped again.
About 16% of rapes are reported. Of those, about 62% lead to an arrest.
98% of the victims of rape never see their attacker caught, tried, or imprisoned.
Over half of all rape trials are either dismissed before trial or result in an acquittal.
(http://fruitiondesign.com/dealwithit/article1.php 3):
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And this is for one location in one country. There may be differences based on locations, and social surroundings, but the crime is the same.
I am disappointed that numbers are being thrown around so carelessly. Especially, by the author of this blog (who should know better). It is irresponsible to manufacture numbers for a crime on a helpless; except to illicit response (and I am the trap; just as well).
And why should the response to crime of humanity be termed in as “Muslims” or spelled out with official name “Islamic Republic of Pakistan (as if this is a crime scene; and I know where you are coming from for you have nothing good to say about Pakistan when you spell it out; be it Cowasjee or anyone else)?
Why; does not God’s creation live everywhere? Is the core problem of one part of world any different from another? Do they bleed differently? Do they weep laughingly? Do they get fever without high temperature? Or do they drink water hanging upside down?
And yes, perhaps the society should rise to next level of open discussion. There is such a long list of things that need to be addressed. Alas, Pakistan is a poor country whose powerful rape it daily; hourly; what can it do? Any poor country? And rape is a crime on a weak and poor person. How much weak and poor can you be to be raped in a weak and poor country?
I am not sure what the numbers are in PK. Perhaps there should be some funding for serious attempt to get a sense and extent of this crime with the underlined thought that
We have rough idea about the magnitude of this problem in the west. We have now started getting an idea about this problem in Pakistan. Does anybody know what is the situation in this regard in Saudia Arabia? The situation in Saudi Arabia with Islamic laws in vogue may throw some light on how to deal with this problem.
This is Islamic republic of Pakistan, where 90 percent of the populations is Muslim!!!!
The people who are commiting these crimes are indeed are criminals in the eyes of scoiety and faith.
What about the people who knows it and see the problem and dont do anything about it. Newspapers are filled with analysis of political situations, mullah is screaming for jihad but morality of the society is crying in dark corner somewhere.