Pakistan: Chinese national arrested for raping minor girl for months

Islamabad: Amid grim human rights situation in Pakistan, a Chinese national was arrested for sexually assaulting and threatening a minor girl continuously for several months.
According to the Islamabad police, the arrested accused was operating a CCTV installation business in Ghauri town, and the 16-year-old girl worked with him as a translator since May 2021. The victim in the FIR stated that the man had been harassing her since she joined the job, reported Dawn. As per the FIR, the girl was 31-week pregnant. The victim, in the FIR, stated that the accused continuously raped her and threatened her with dire consequences. As a result, she got pregnant and after her sister noticed it, she took her to the hospital. It was at the hospital where it was revealed that the girl was 31-week pregnant. Later, the victim's sister approached the police to file an FIR.
On the other hand, the accused denied the allegations and maintained that the girl willingly had physical relations with her, and it was not forced, reported Dawn.
However, the police arrested him and took him under two days of physical custody as obtained from the magistrate's court. The police confiscated his passport. DNA samples of the victim and the accused have been collected for further investigation.
Pakistani newspaper The News International reported that the data revealed that during the past six months nearly 2,211 child abuse cases with both boys and girls were registered.
Notably, the data on sexual abuse of children was collected from 79 newspapers. The majority of the cases can be categorised as rape, sodomy and abduction for sexual abuse, The News International reported.
The rampant prevalence of child abuse in Pakistan has become a major cause of concern in the country.
The News International further reported citing gender split analysis that the female reported cases of child sexual abuse are more in number than male cases. Out of the total of 2,211 children, 1,004 were boys and 1,207 were girls, according to data collected by the publication.
The Human Rights Watch in its Annual World Report 2022 cited allegations of extensive rights abuses against women along with children in Pakistan, which ranks 167 out of 170 countries on the Global Women, Peace and Security Index.
"Violence against women and girls, including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, and forced marriage is endemic throughout Pakistan. Human Rights defenders estimate that roughly 1,000 women are killed in so-called honour killings every year," said the HRW report.
Last year, Pakistan was placed 153rd on the Global Gender Gap index. Given the endless horrors and discomfort that women are forced to live through in a land of men, Pakistan is in the company of sub-Saharan countries (many of which are undergoing existential crises) should not surprise anyone. (ANI)