The News Editorial: When will this end!

Are you as apalled as I am about the countless instances of rapes and gang-rapes of women in Pakistan? The rapists never, I repeat, never get punished. They are infact protected by the state machinery and the victims are harassed and abused if they try to bring their violators to justice. In the face of all this inhumanity, we remain silent spectators. Have we no humanity left in us? Where is justice?

When will it end?

Four days after Sonia Naz's case became public, the newspapers carried two stories: One of the gang rape of four women of the same family by 10 men in Ganju Hatta near Jalapur Pirwala in district Multan; and the other case that of a four-year-old girl being raped by her brother-in-law in Karachi. This crime was reported ten days after it had been committed.

Police claim: "That it was yet to be ascertained that the girl had been raped or not", but the wounds on the child's body reveal the torture she was subjected to. While the police authorities in Multan have been unable to find any clue to prosecute the criminals who committed the gang rape in the village of Ganju Hatta.

This surely is a paradox, as the same gang committed a similar crime six months ago in the same area and the police must have found some leads. Unfortunately, they find it difficult to capture 10 criminals at large in a small village. Is the police reluctant to pursue the law-breakers because they are aware of the criminals' identities, and prosecuting them will mean pointing a finger at those above the law?

The reason for the increase in sex crimes in Pakistan is mainly due to the lethargy and incompetence of the police force and the legal system. A rape case should not be allowed to remain pending for more than six months, it is psychologically and socially damaging for the victim(s).

If swift and exemplary punishments are publicly awarded to the criminals, it will set a precedence for other cases. It is the duty of the federal, provincial, city and town/village authorities to enforce law and order.