Every day, another story breaks—a young woman deceived, betrayed, and brutalized in a land that once prided itself on purity and honor. Each headline bleeds with the same painful narrative, a cycle of despair that refuses to break. The rising number of rape incidents is not just a statistic; it is a chilling testament to the crumbling state of law and order, the decaying moral compass of a society that has failed to protect its most vulnerable.
It is an agony beyond words to know that women, our sisters and daughters, are baited with false promises—of marriage, of jobs, of a better life—only to be met with cruelty. The predators, often lurking behind screens, manipulate the innocence of their victims, exploiting their dreams and vulnerabilities. Poverty, unemployment, and frustration may fuel violence, but they do not excuse it. There is no justification for the horror inflicted upon these women.
The motorway gang rape incident from a couple of years ago shook the nation, but what followed was even more disgraceful—victim shaming. Rather than demanding justice, a large section of society chose to place the burden of blame on the woman. They questioned her choices, her actions, her very existence, as if she had invited this cruelty upon herself. The uproar was deafening, yet justice remains a distant dream.
Victim shaming is the final nail in the coffin of justice. It forces silence upon those who have already endured the unimaginable. The fear of relentless scrutiny and humiliation keeps countless women from coming forward. Those who do muster the courage face an excruciating ordeal—being interrogated, cross-questioned, and forced to relive their trauma in a system that seems more interested in breaking them than in punishing their attackers.
The numbers are staggering. In Punjab alone, 21,900 rape cases were recorded over four years—an average of 12 assaults every day. One every two hours. And yet, the conviction rate hovers at a mere 0.2%. This is not just a failure of the legal system—it is an indictment of an entire society that refuses to take a stand. The vast majority of sexual crimes remain unreported, buried under layers of shame and silence. Families, fearing dishonor, choose to suppress the truth, forcing victims to live with their pain while the perpetrators walk free.
The horror does not end there. A recent case of two sisters setting their father on fire after enduring years of abuse exposes the darkest corners of our society. It is a stark reminder that for many women, danger does not come from strangers, but from the very men who are meant to protect them. Statistics reveal that 82% of sexual crimes are committed by someone the victim knows—fathers, brothers, uncles, or family friends. These are the betrayals that shatter not just bodies, but souls.
Revenge rape, an abomination that defies human decency, continues to be practiced under the guise of tribal justice. Women are used as pawns, as punishment for the crimes of their male relatives. The village councils that enable these barbaric acts operate with impunity, their decrees unchecked, their brutality unpunished. This is not justice; this is medieval cruelty disguised as tradition.
What will it take for this to change? The path ahead is long, arduous, and filled with resistance. Changing mindsets is not an overnight process—it demands persistence, awareness, and unrelenting resolve. But one thing is clear: the laws must be strictly enforced. Rapists must be punished in ways that deter others. The judicial process must be swift, delivering justice before trauma turns into a lifelong prison for the victim. Women must be supported, not shamed, when they speak up. The conviction rate must rise, or fear will continue to be the victor.
But beyond laws, there must be a shift in how we see women. They are not property. They are not objects of control or instruments of revenge. They are human beings with rights, dignity, and dreams. Practices like revenge rape must be eradicated, and men who violate women must be made examples of—publicly punished, so that no one dares follow in their footsteps.
Is this an impossible dream? Maybe. But doing nothing is not an option. The stigma surrounding rape must be dismantled, and education must take its place. Women must be empowered with knowledge of their rights, not silenced with threats and shame. Rape is not about lust; it is about power. It is a weapon of subjugation. And by allowing rapists to roam free while their victims live in fear, society itself is complicit in their crimes.
There is no magic fix. There never will be. But with courage, persistence, and an unyielding demand for justice, we can begin to turn the tide. Only then can we hope to build a society where women walk freely—not as prey, but as equals.
The question is—will we rise to the challenge, or will we let fear and silence continue to rule?