IN Pakistan, violence against women and girls is a human rights crisis. Hina Zareef was reportedly killed by her father for leaving an abusive and forced marriage. In another horrifying case, a woman was reportedly burned by her in-laws during a quarrel. Hina Javed was brutally murdered in her marital home.

The reality is that, for many, a woman who asserts her autonomy is seen as someone who must be punished. Hina Zareef’s case was categorised by many as an ‘honour’-related crime. There is no honour in violence and control. Honour belongs to the woman, who had the immense courage to walk away from abuse, only to be killed by her own family.

There have been several recent reports of violence against minor girls. A minor girl in Abbottabad was reportedly sexually assaulted at school, while the autopsy of a five-year-old from Haripur has revealed that she was raped. The rot in our society is deep. It is high time we recognise the scale and seriousness of the violence being inflicted and confront it with urgency.

There must be an honest acknowledgement of rape culture in our society. Rape culture is reflected in the attitudes that justify violence, and the immediate instinct to question the victim. It is reflected in a society........

© Dawn