Until rape is treated as a national and global emergency, we are all complicit in letting monsters walk free
By Noor Fatima
The question “why are rape cases rising?” is no longer important. The real question is, “How are we still letting this happen?”
From infants to elderly women, from helpless animals to even men, the world is caught in the grip of a horrifying incidents, a society that allows rape to happen in silence, fear, and shame.
In early April 2025, a case from India shocked the world: a 19-year-old girl was allegedly raped by 23 men over six days in different locations.
This wasn’t a rare act of horror — it was systematic, repeated violence that reflects a terrifying norm.
In Pakistan, the pattern continues. In the notorious Lahore-Sialkot Motorway case, the victim was blamed by a senior officer for traveling without a male companion.
Now in 2025, a woman with her husband was gang-raped and robbed. What’s the excuse now?
Not Just Women, Even Children, Men, and Animals Are Targets
The violence has no boundaries
UNICEF (Oct 2024) reported 1 in 8 girls and 1 in 11 boys globally experience rape or sexual assault before 18.
Men, too, are victims, but social pressure often silences their trauma.
Read: Over 370 million girls and women globally subjected to rape or sexual assault as children – UNICEF
Cases of bestiality involving goats, cats, dogs, and donkeys have also surfaced in South Asia. If this doesn’t expose the depth of depravity, what will?
Victims are not just suffering physical damage, they’re being pushed into a lifetime of anxiety, PTSD, and fear. The impact ripples beyond individuals to entire communities living in fear.
Religion & Responsibility: Where Are Our Leaders?
Pakistan is a country that takes pride in its Islamic identity. But where are our religious and political leaders when such cases arise?
Islam states that a ruler is accountable if even a dog dies of hunger under their governance. What then of the hundreds of rape victims, women, children, men, animals, who suffer daily in this “Islamic Republic”?
We build mosques. We hold Ramadan transmissions. But where are the Friday sermons about justice for ape victims? Where is the outrage when a baby girl is violated?
Viral Cases, Viral Protests — But No Viral Justice
We have seen protests.
In the Lady Doctor Case, in India, in which a female doctor was assaulted by an on-duty policeman during a night shift, social media erupted with anger.
In early April 2025, a case from India shocked the world: a 19-year-old girl was allegedly raped by 23 men for six days in multiple locations.
The Motorway Rape Case led to nationwide demonstrations, with activists demanding capital punishment.
In the most recent Hyderabad case (March 2025), a 7-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by her neighbor, and the medical examiner’s delay almost ruined the forensic evidence.
But all this noise leads to silence if our courts don’t convict, if our police mishandle evidence, and if our society blames survivors instead of monsters.
Enough. Here’s What Must Change Now
The uncomfortable truth? Most rapists are men.
Yes, not all men. But almost every case involves one.
Whether it’s the teenager addicted to pornography, the married father with three kids, or the rich, powerful elite who know the law won’t touch them, this is not about desire. It’s about dominance, control, and a rotting culture of entitlement.
Here’s what needs to change Urgently
Fast-track courts for sexual violence
DNA testing within 24 hours
Strict punishment in minor and gang rape cases
Awareness education in schools
Strict porn and abuse content monitoring
Police accountability for mishandling reports
Mental health & protection programs for survivors
Shame Does Not Belong to the Victim
Let it be clear:
It is not the rape survivor who should lower their eyes.
It is the rapist, the cowardly bystander, the corrupt official, and the silent religious or political leader who should be ashamed.
Until rape is treated as a national and global emergency, we are all complicit in letting monsters walk free.
So again, how many more?
Read: PGC Rape Case: How this nation forgets such tragic incidents so easily?
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Noor Fatima is a Mass Communication student at the University of Karachi
