Anger over Prime Minister saying rape victims were ‘lightly dressed’

“If a woman is lightly dressed, it will have some effect on men, as she is not a robot,” said Imran Khan.

The outrage of many women’s rights organizations was sparked by statements by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan , who said in an interview that rape victims were “lightly dressed”. Speaking on Axios TV , the former cricket champion linked the men’s actions to women’s clothing, statements that were described as ” dangerously simplistic ” by about a dozen non-governmental organizations, which called on him to apologize.

If a woman is lightly dressed, it will have some effect on men, as she is not a robot. It is a matter of common sense, “ said Imran Khan when asked about the outbreak of sexual assault and rape in Pakistan. He did not specify what kind of clothes he was talking about, in a country where most women wear traditional clothing that covers the whole body.

More than a dozen organizations apologize

More than a dozen women’s rights organizations, including the Pakistan Human Rights Commission,which is an independent body, called on him to apologize for the views he expressed. The prime minister’s statements ” are dangerously simplistic and only reinforce the general view that women are conscious victims and men are powerless attackers,” they said . ” Those who are guilty of rape, sodomy and assault go unpunished, ” said Karamat Ali, head of the Pakistan Institute of Labor, Education and Research, who also signed the statement.

“I am horrified by the idea that many rapists feel safe today,” as the prime minister’s statements ” confirm their crime,” wrote Kanual Ahmed, a member of a women’s rights group.

In early April, Imran Khan again linked rape to the clothes women choose to wear. He went on to explain that the reason women cover their bodies in Islam is to avoid challenges.

Rape

victims treated with suspicion in Pakistan Rape victims are often treated with suspicion in Pakistan and allegations of sexual assault are rarely seriously investigated. Much of the country lives by the patriarchal “code of honor” that systematically oppresses women.

Dissatisfaction, however, is growing in the face of the way some attacks are handled. In 2020, mass demonstrations were organized on the occasion of the rape of a mother, in front of her children, when her car ran out of fuel on a street. A police officer then accused her of driving alone at night without her husband.