Illustration from HeF Clothing

On the 10th of January 2018, Zainab Ansari’s body was found in a pile of waste near her home in Kasur, Pakistan. A 7-year-old girl was abducted, raped and murdered. A child was sexually abused. Her body was used, tortured, and abandoned. Her death sparked fury across the nation. Protestors demanded immediate action from the government against perpetrators. “Hang the rapists!” they shout. Yet, the rapist is still to be found. “Justice for Zainab” can be heard throughout the world and I hope justice will be served for her.

Who is to blame for Zainab’s case? The police force of the region who failed to take immediate action? The lenient policies put in place against these crimes? The politicians who are so distant from their own people? Or are the parents at blame for leaving a young child behind? Of course, the rapist is the one who took the innocent life of the little girl and he should be punished for his actions. Still, we need to examine these sorts of cases more critically. In Kasur alone, there have been “111 cases of sexual assault” reported in 2017! And these numbers only represent a small city in a country of 193 million people. Several Zainab’s have been murdered and raped throughout the country and some continue to be sexually abused. Many Zainab’s suffer silently and when their bodies have been tortured and abused at the hands of rapists and pedophiles, they are left to die as though they are of no value. Why is this happening? Why are young girls and women sexually abused? What is the root cause of these actions?

I don’t have answers to these questions, but I can attempt to provide alternative ways of approaching and perceiving sexual assault in our community. I hope that with an open discussion of sexual abuse in our society, we can prevent these occurrences and provide emotional support to young girls and women. As a society, we need to address this culture of shame that surrounds us. Sexual abuse and rape are issues that are not meant to be openly discussed. They are taboo. These matters are meant to be discussed behind closed doors under one’s breath. Our approach towards these realities has destroyed the lives of several children and women.

If a young girl approaches her mother about her uncle’s sexual behavior, the mother will silence her in fear of shattering the daughter’s reputation and destroying family relationships. In most cases, a close relative misbehaves towards a child or woman, and because of close ties, it becomes difficult to speak against these perpetrators. We need to be brave and openly speak against them even if it makes others uncomfortable.

Pakistan is making progress in addressing these issues, especially in mainstream media. The TV serial, Udari, for example, bravely portrayed and discussed child sexual abuse with scenes that evoked strong reactions throughout the country. This is what society needs: a clear and open discussion of these realities. Although the media is beginning to discuss these problems, the reality on the ground and statistics show otherwise. Several communities and people still hold conservative standpoints in approaching these issues.

For this, I truly believe education can help raise awareness and prevent these horrendous crimes. We need to teach children from a young age about sexual assault and abuse. We need to teach them what are good and bad actions and what are acceptable and non-acceptable touches. Above children, parents and adults should be taught how to address these situations when they are faced with one. They should be taught strategies on how to respond and behave if a perpetrator behaves sexually towards them or their children. They should have access to resources if such a situation were to occur. Education is key here. There needs to be an end to a culture that shames victims and silences them. We should speak up openly and courageously.

Above, I mentioned young girls and women as falling victim to sexual abuse. I want to acknowledge that the bodies of young boys and teenagers are also abused, tortured, and abandoned. They are also victims of rape and sexual assault. We need to recognize these realities to be able to prevent them. We need to provide emotional support to both boys and girls as it can be a traumatic experience that no human being should ever go through. These occurrences not only occur in Pakistan but throughout the world. They occur in my own homeland. They occurred with people I know. In my own city, some men misused their religious position to sexually abuse boys and were able to leave the city without any consequences. This is the problem in our community when we all know who does what, no one dares to openly speak against them. They are not punished, which allows these perpetrators to continue horrendous behaviors.

I am deeply saddened and disappointed. I hope that as a society, we can actively and openly speak against rapists and pedophiles and punish them for their behaviors. I hope that we can leave behind this culture of shame and openly embrace victims by giving them emotional support whether that be to young children or adults. May Zainab find peace and justice. May God protect all children, women, and men and punish those who sexually abuse, rape and assault others.

The following is a link to a petition to give Zainab justice. Please sign and share it!

https://www.change.org/p/parliament-of-pakistan-justice-for-zainab

Source

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1605145/1-kasur-timeline-tears-shed-lives-lost-years/