Pakistani rights activists have accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of “mind-boggling ignorance” after the former cricketer linked the way women dress for an increase in rape cases. In a weekend live television interview, Oxford-educated Khan said an increase in rape indicated “the consequences in any society where vulgarity is on the rise”.
BK Bangash / AP
“Incidents of rape on women … (actually) have grown very rapidly in society,” he said.
He advised women to hide to prevent temptation.
“The whole concept of purdah is to avoid temptation, not everyone has the will to avoid it,” he said, using a term that could refer to modest clothing or gender segregation.
Hundreds signed an online statement on Wednesday calling Khan’s comments “factually incorrect, insensitive and dangerous.”
“The fault lies exclusively with the rapist and the system that allows the rapist, including a culture supported by statements such as those made by (Khan),” the statement said.
Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission, an independent watchdog, said on Tuesday he was “dismayed” by the comments.
“This not only betrays a disconcerting ignorance of the places, motives and manner in which rape takes place, but also blames rape survivors, who, as the government should know, can range from young children to victims of homicide honor, “he said. .
Karachi Chapter of the Women’s Action Forum he called Khan to apologize for “his insulting and harmful remarks.”
Pakistan is a deeply conservative country, where victims of sexual abuse are often viewed with suspicion and criminal complaints are rarely seriously investigated.
Much of the country lives under a code of “honor” in which women who bring “shame” to the family can be subjected to violence or crime.
It regularly ranks among the worst places in the world for gender equality.
National protests erupted last year when a police chief admonished a gang rape victim for driving at night without a male companion. The Franco-Pakistani mother was assaulted in front of her children on the side of a highway after her car ran out of gas.
After that incident, Khan demanded that the rapists be hanged or castrated in public for their crimes.
Last year, Khan was criticized after another appearance on television, in which he failed to challenge the insistence of a Muslim clergyman that the coronavirus was triggered due to the wrongdoing of women.
The latest controversy comes as organizers behind International Women’s Day are battling what they have called a coordinated disinformation campaign against them, including images and videos aired online.
It has led to accusations of blasphemy – an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where allegations have previously led gangs to attack people.
The organizers of the annual rally demanded the intervention of the prime minister.
In his weekend TV appearance, Khan blamed UK divorce rates and the culture of “sex, drugs and rock and roll” that began in the 1970s, when Khan, divorced twice, won. a reputation in London as a playboy.