Islamabad, Pakistan
CNN
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The alleged gang rape of a woman in a park in Pakistan has enraged women’s rights activists, who are protesting what they see as “increasing sexual barbarism” in the country.
The woman, 24, was with a male colleague at Fatima Jinnah Park in the capital Islamabad – known locally as F9 Park and the largest in the city – last Thursday when she was allegedly attacked by two armed men. He was assaulted by, according to a statement he filed. Police, seen by CNN.
The woman alleged that the men forced the couple to walk towards a “wooded area” in the park, where they tore off her clothes and raped her.
She said the men told her she shouldn’t have been at the park at night and asked about her relationship with a co-worker.
“When I replied, I was slapped. My hair was pulled and I was thrown on the floor,” the woman said in her police statement.
The incident has sparked outrage in the country of 220 million, which is highly patriarchal and where violent attacks against women and girls often make headlines.
Hundreds of protesters have tied their dupattas – scarves worn by South Asian women – to the railings of the park, along with messages for change.
“Please don’t let another sister suffer,” read a note. “Save the women and children of Pakistan,” read another.
Rights group, Aurat Azadi March (Women’s Freedom March), said in a statement, “Sexual brutality is on the rise in Pakistan, and the criminal silence on this by the state and society is unacceptable.”
“We are angry. We are in pain. And we will not let that be forgotten.”
An Islamabad police spokesman told CNN that so far no arrests have been made in the case.
Fatima Jinnah Park is a sprawling oasis in the heart of Islamabad in an affluent part of the city, and has a high security presence. It is often compared to New York’s Central Park because families often gather for festivals and children play in the park all day long.
The government on Sunday ordered domestic television channels not to report on the alleged assault, citing the need to protect the identity of the woman.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulatory Authority said any broadcast of the news reports is “prohibited with immediate effect”.
According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, more than 5,200 women were reported to be raped in the country in 2021, but experts believe the real number is much higher as many women come forward due to social stigma and victim blaming. Afraid to come
Citing the Karachi-based non-profit War Against War, Reuters reported in December 2020 that less than 3% of sexual assault or rape cases in Pakistan result in a conviction.
In December 2020, Pakistan tightened its rape laws to create special courts to try cases within four months and provide medical tests to women within six hours of a complaint being made. But activists say Pakistan continues to let down its women and there is no nationwide law criminalizing domestic violence, leaving many victims of assault.
In 2021, the Pakistani ambassador’s daughter Noor Mukadam beheaded Protesters called on the government to do more to protect women.
his killer, zaheer jafferThe 30-year-old son of an influential family and a dual Pakistan-American citizen who knew Mukadam, was sentenced to death by an Islamabad judge last February.