September 11th marked another disturbing event for a woman in Islamabad who was beaten and raped by the male domestic within the confines of her house. The attacker, Assad was handed over to the police after the victim came forward with the truth. The victim came forward with the attack several days after the incident. She claimed that her reason for delay were the constant threats she was receiving from Assad.
He alleged to be in possession of compromising photos of the woman and had threatened to release them online had she said something.
The servant worked for the landlord of the house who was in possession of the upper portion of the house. The victim, also a professor at a college, lived in the portion below with her husband and four children. The family has come forward claiming that the victim had been harassed for months prior to the rape. The attack happened when she returned home after dropping her children at school. Assad forcefully entered her house, locked her in a room, assaulted, raped and documented the act to blackmail her later.
The attack was followed by further harassment through texts and phone calls. However, the victim’s increasing depression, as a result, is what alarmed her husband and probed him to discover the truth. Assad has also reportedly confessed to the crime after his arrest. Upon inquiry and investigation, it was learned that he had taken one picture of the victim which has been deleted.
Assad was arrested the day the truth was revealed. As the news gained momentum, several people have taken to social media to do what they do best – play the blame game.
It is disheartening to witness several women questioning the character of the victim calling her an equal participant in the crime. Some have even gone so far as to call the rape “consensual.” She is being questioned for not taking an action to dismiss the servant sooner.
Much to the dismay of all the women who get raped, it is a sad that rape itself is ridiculed. The victim is questioned before the predator. People have taken to social media accusing the victim of having an affair with her attacker leading to the rape. Several have called her story flawed and untrue.
As a society, the least we can do is develop a sense of empathy and drive off the holier-than-thou road on someone else’s suffering. Taking to social media to voice our “disapproval” of how people choose to handle their trauma is something that has forced several to stay quiet forever and others to take their own life.
The constant comments that make even the victims question their truth and evidently feel their sanity has been rendered null and void. As a community we need to create an environment that allows victims to come forward and demand justice, as opposed to staying silent and keeping their trauma within themselves.
*Feature Image Source: CNN*
