In yet another incident of sexual violence against a minor, the Rawalpindi police on Thursday arrested a school teacher for allegedly raping a female student. The victim, a six or seven-year-old girl, complained to her mother that she had been assaulted by a male teacher at school.
When the distraught mother took her daughter to the Tehsil Headquarter (THQ) Hospital for a check-up, she was told by the staff that she needed to contact the police first.
Upon receiving the complaint, Sadar Waah Cantt police station registered a case under the punishment of rape, Section 376, of the Pakistan Penal Code. The Police Superintendent of the concerned police station said that police were taking all steps necessary to ensure that violence against women and minors was curtailed.
On Wednesday, an anti-rape legislation was passed in the joint session of the parliament. The legislation aims to speed up convictions and impose tougher sentences. It comes in response to a mass public outcry over a recent surge in rapes against women and children in the country, and growing demands to ensure justice for victims of sexual assault.
According to the legislation, sex offenders convicted of multiple rapes could face chemical castration. The bill states that Pakistan’s government must establish special courts nationwide to expedite rape trials and ensure sexual abuse cases are decided “expeditiously, preferably within four months.”
According to Reuters, fewer than 3% of sexual assault or rape cases result in a conviction in Pakistan.
