A sexual assault trial in Pakistan fails to eradicate racial and domestic violence in a “jirga”: An out-of-court settlement in Swat
A court in Pakistan on Monday freed a convicted rapist after it was “agreed” he would marry his victim, his lawyer said, enraging rights activists who say the ruling risks normalizing sexual violence in the South Asian country.
In 2020 in the northeastern district of stok, Khan was found guilty of raping a 36-year-old woman, his lawyer said.
On Monday, the Peshawar High Court acquitted the two men who were married earlier in December based on an out-of-court settlement made by a local “jirga”.
Swat is a mostly rural and conservative district, where deeply ingrained, often brutal patriarchal and misogynistic attitudes remain prevalent. In 2012, activist and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Pakistani Taliban in Swat for defying their orders by going to school.
It is not uncommon for a jirga to settle cases in many parts of Pakistan on so-called taboo issues such as childbirth outside of marriage. Critics have long accused jirga of perpetuating a culture of victim-shaming, especially on issues of rape and sexual assault.
Pakistan’s rape laws were revised in December 2020 so that special courts would try cases within four months and medical exams for women within six hours of a complaint being made. But activists say Pakistan continues to fail its women and does not have a nationwide law criminalizing domestic violence, leaving many vulnerable to assault.
The Legal Aid Society says that a majority of rape victims drop their claims due to the country’s flawed justice system.
Pakistan does not have a nationwide law criminalizing domestic violence that can leave many vulnerable to assault.
The killing of the mother of a social media star and her brother, Qandeel Baloch, in the Fatima Jinnah park in Islamabad
In February, the brother of murdered social media star Qandeel Baloch was freed by a Pakistani appeals court, three years after he was convicted of killing her for “bringing dishonor” to the family.
In Pakistan, the murder of a woman is usually done by a relative who thinks she brought shame to the family. At the time of Baloch’s murder, Pakistani law allowed the victim’s family to pardon a convicted killer.
Aurat Azadi March (Women’s Freedom March), said in a statement, “Criminal silence on it is unacceptable and there is an increasing sexual barbarism in Pakistan.”
The woman, 24, was with a male colleague in the capital Islamabad’s Fatima Jinnah park – known locally as F9 park and the largest in the city – last Thursday when they were allegedly attacked by two armed men, according to a statement she filed with the police, seen by CNN.
The incident has sparked outrage in the country of 220 million, which is highly patriarchal and where violent attacks against women and girls frequently make headlines.
Fatima Jinnah park is a large park in the center of Islamabad, with a high security presence, which is found in an affluent part of the city. It is often compared to New York’s Central Park as families gather for festivals and children play in the park throughout the day.
A judge in Islamabad sentenced the son of an influential family to death for her murder last February.