LAHORE: On Wednesday, In the last 24 hours five incidents of rape have been reported in Lahore. In the Johar Town area, a man identified as Maqbool purportedly raped his 16-year-old stepdaughter, whose case was registered on the complaint of the suspect’s wife. According to the police, all cases of rape have been registered at different police stations across the city.
In the Bhagatpura area within the limits of Shadbagh police station a mother of four children was allegedly raped, while a 10-year-old was raped by an unidentified person in Manawan, as per the police. A 17-year-old girl was raped in the Lari Ada area after being promised a job by an anonymous suspect, while the Nawankot police arrested a 15-year-old suspect for trying to rape a seven-year-old girl on Church Road. Sexual violence cases against women in Pakistan has been increasing disturbingly.
According to recent information issued by the Federal Ministry of Human Rights, despite a lessen in the figure of reported cases of violence against women, data from provincial helplines for women depicts a dreadful state of women’s rights, especially in Sindh and Punjab.
Officials working for women’s rights in northern Sindh and southern Punjab consider the place to be “hell” for women and their rights. The Ministry of Human Rights Toll-Free Helpline data shows Punjab contributed the most to the total complaints registered by women all over Pakistan, as the province made up to 73% of the total cases of violence against women in the country.
