According to Pakistan, three men – one of whom is a ticket checker – have been accused of raping a 25-year-old mother of two children as she was on her way from the city of Karachi in Pakistan’s Punjab province to Multan last week. Railway Ministry. It said the attack took place when the men asked her to be taken to a vehicle with air-conditioning.
According to a police report seen by CNN, three people have been arrested on suspicion of rape.
Salman Sufi, head of the prime minister’s Strategic Reforms Implementation Unit, told CNN on Thursday that the government had ordered railway operators to improve women’s safety on trains, including CCTV cameras in common areas, emergency buttons in cabins and patrol teams. Are included. are included. female police officer.
The incident has sparked anger in a democracy of 220 million, which has a poor track record in defending women’s rights and where brutal acts of gender-based violence and sexual assault often make headlines.
Fauzia Saeed, a women’s rights activist in Pakistan, called on police to “make the environment safe” for women, while Pakistan’s Dawn newspaper on Wednesday called it a “horrible crime”.
In an editorial, Dawn said, “Another horrific incident of sexual violence has come to the fore, which underscores how the careless attitude towards the security system is driving criminals to indulge in their worst instincts.” ” can inspire.”
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, more than 5,200 women reported rape in the country in 2021, but experts believe the real number is much higher as many victims blame the victim in a patriarchal society. afraid to come. ,
Less than 3% of sexual assault or rape cases result in conviction in Pakistan, Reuters reported in December 2020, citing War Against War, a Karachi-based non-profit.
But rights groups criticized the law, instead calling on officials to address the root of the problem.
Amnesty International said the punishment for chemical castration was “brutal and inhumane”.
“Instead of trying to distract, authorities should focus on the important work of reforms that will address the root causes of sexual violence and bring justice to the victims,” Amnesty said.
Despite recent tightening of anti-rape laws, activists say Pakistan continues to fail its women. There is no nationwide law to criminalize domestic violence, leaving many vulnerable to assault.
Her killer, Zaheer Jafar, a 30-year-old son of an influential family and a dual Pakistan-American national who knew the case, was sentenced to death by an Islamabad judge in February.