India and Pakistan’s appalling record of sexual violence against women continues to be dragged further down as reports surface of yet another gang rape case.  The world was shocked and outraged when a 22 year old woman was gang raped in New Delhi, so violently that she died in 2012, but in some ways this latest story is even more shocking.

The “punishment” of being gang raped was ordered by a village elder after the 20 year old victim was accused of an illicit affair with a man from another village. 12 men were arrested for the horrific assault after the woman’s family were unable to pay the 25,000 rupees fine imposed by the kangaroo court.  

The woman was allegedly assaulted in public view by several men of varying ages as other dwellers stood by and did nothing to help her.

Despite laws being tightened after the fatal gang raping in New Delhi, and the subsequent death penalty imposed on the attackers, the alarming regularity of gang rape seems to be on the increase.

 

Amazingly, a female politician in India recently sparked fury when she implied that gang rape victims invited the attacks by their clothes and behaviour. Asha Mirje, who is a member of the state women’s commission said this week, “rapes take place because of a woman’s clothes, her behaviour and her presence at inappropriate places”. She went on to question whether the student killed in the New Delhi case needed to go to a movie at 11pm.

Tribal courts in Pakistan and India are metering out gang rape punishments for a variety of crimes, some of which aren’t even committed by the woman attacked.

A 45 year old widow was allegedly gang raped by 6 men on the orders of a tribal council after her brother was accused of an affair with a woman in the village.

In a lawless part of Pakistan in separate incident, 4 women were shot dead by relatives, in what were described as honour killings after one of the women left her husband. Again, sadly this is not an isolated incident. The human rights commission of Pakistan says 943 women were killed in 2011 after “dishonouring” their families.

Another report claims that six men has been charged with murdering three men in honour killings after footage emerged of three men dancing with women at a wedding. The men in the video could not be located so instead their three brothers were killed. The report went on to say that the women are also believed to be dead, although their bodies have not been found.

Anyone who is foolish enough to believe that these are unusual and rare occurrences is sadly mistaken. With the ever growing multi- cultural society in this country, it is terrifying that this behaviour is acceptable in some cultures. If this despicable treatment of women and girls is allowed to continue in India and Pakistan unchallenged, it is inevitable that it will be replicated on the streets of Britain. I said before, following the New Delhi case that action needed to be taken and I am even more convinced following these recent events.

It’s not however a hopeless case where we can’t change this trend. The growing outrage of the watching world must swell until the authorities in these countries are forced to take action.  Tribal elders who give the orders for these vile crimes must be as severely punished as the actual rapists and a message has to be sent that the world will simply not tolerate the rape and murder of women.

Pakistani woman Mukhtaran Mai gained international recognition 15 year ago after she challenged taboos to fight back against her own gang rape. Following the successful conviction of her attackers she now runs rehabilitation for rape victims. Asian and Pakistani women should follow her example and help mould their own children’s future by teaching them that female lives have the same value as male lives. The attitude of men in these cultures has to change if the behaviour is to be dragged kicking and screaming out of the dark ages.