Pakistani human rights activists have accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of “mind-boggling ignorance” after the former cricketer linked how women dress for an increase in rape cases. In a weekend interview on live television, Oxford-educated Khan said an increase in rapes pointed to the “consequences in any society where vulgarity is on the rise.”
BK Bangash / AP
“The number of rape cases against women … (has) actually increased very rapidly in society,” he said.
He advised women to cover up to avoid temptation.
“This whole concept of purdah is to avoid temptation, not everyone has the willpower to avoid it,” he said, using a term that could refer to modest dress or the separation of the sexes.
Hundreds signed a statement on Wednesday calling Khan’s comments “factually inaccurate, insensitive and dangerous.”
“The blame rests solely with the rapist and the system that makes the rapist possible, including a culture promoted by statements like (Khan’s),” the statement said.
Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission, an independent rights watchdog, said Tuesday it was “shocked” by the comments
“Not only does this betray a bewildering ignorance of where, why and how rape takes place, but it also places the blame on rape survivors, who, as the government should know, can range from young children to victims of honor killings,” he said. .
The Karachi branch of the Women’s Action Forum called on Khan to apologize for his “heartless and harmful remarks.”
Pakistan is a very 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” whereby women who bring “shame” to the family can become victims of violence or murder.
It regularly ranks among the worst places in the world for gender equality.
Last year, nationwide protests erupted when a police chief admonished a gang rape victim for driving at night without a male companion. The French-Pakistani mother was assaulted on the side of a highway for her children after her car ran out of gas.
After that incident Khan called for rapists to be publicly hanged or neutered for their crimes.
Last year, Khan was also criticized after another television appearance in which he did not challenge a Muslim cleric’s claim that the coronavirus had been unleashed because of women’s abuses.
The latest controversy comes when the organizers behind International Women’s Day marches fight what they have called a coordinated campaign of disinformation against them, including edited images and videos distributed online.
It has led to allegations of blasphemy – an extremely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where allegations have previously led to attacks against people.
The organizers of the annual meeting have called on the prime minister to intervene.
On his TV weekend, Khan also blamed divorce rates in Britain for the “sex, drugs and rock and roll” culture that began in the 1970s, when the twice divorced Khan gained a reputation as a playboy in London.