Robbed of innocence

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Karachi

Monday, February 27, was a day of immense shock for Faiza’s family. Five-year-old Faiza, who had gone missing the night before, was found in bushes in Gulzar-e-Hijri – tortured, raped and dead. On Wednesday her family, along with several sympathizers from their neighbourhood, gathered outside the Mobina Town police station. They demanded a prompt investigation and protested against the fact that no FIR had been registered when the girl had gone missing.

Faiza’s gruesome death is the third child rape case that has been reported this week; it was preceded by the death of Saima, another five-year old, and a nine-year-old boy from Lines Area. Roshni Helpline, an NGO which deals with cases of missing children, reported a similar case of a five-year old girl, Rehana Manzoor, from Mobina Town, who was tortured and raped. Her body was found on Sharea Faisal.

What makes these cases even more horrific is the condition in which the victims were found. President Roshni Helpline Mohammad Ali claims that Saima’s medico-legal reports revealed that she had been “kept hungry for three days, after which she was gang-raped, tortured and then killed”.

On December 13, 2011, the kidnapping of six-year-old Alishba was widely reported in the media. Two days later, on December 15, her body was discovered. She had been gang-raped and brutally tortured. One of her eyes had been gouged out.

The police conducted a raid on December 21, during which they arrested three men. All three of them admitted to being involved in Alishba’s murder. The men also had with them a nine-year-old girl, whom they had kidnapped by offering sweets.

On December 16, just a day after the city was still reeling from the news of Alishba’s death, the body of a 12-year-old boy was found in Steel Town. A medico-legal officer (MLO) at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre confirmed that the boy had been sodomised and then strangulated.

The latest figures from War Against Rape (WAR) reveal that in 2011, 66 percent of the cases investigated by the NGO involved children under the age of 18, the youngest victim being just three years old. Six rape cases had resulted in death. The youngest victim was five years old.

An informed source in the police department, who has been dealing with rape cases for the past 13 years, claims that the number of incidents of children being victimised by sexual predators has not risen and has, in fact, stayed about the same. “The only difference now is that it is being reported in the media more often.”

She reveals that most victims who come to her for examination are from the lower socio-economic stratum, and are often accompanied by their mothers, who, more often than not, do not know the whereabouts of their child during the time of crime.

“Negligence, exacerbated by poverty, is the main reason such events occur. The parents are either at work or have too many children to give each child individual attention.”

“For every two cases of rape, there is one case of sodomy in children,” she says. The injuries are mainly to the genitals and hands of the victim, she explains. “While the child is being held down forcibly.”

The average age of rape victims that she deals with is 10. She says that, in some cases, the injuries severely damage the private parts of these young girls.

She shares a particularly serious case brought to her in October this year, that of a five- year-old girl who was bleeding so profusely that “she had to be rushed to the operation theatre, given anesthesia and sown up with eighteen stitches”.

But she believes the physical injuries are only part of the damage; there are also severe psychological scars left behind by such incidents. “The victims are disturbed and very scared. I was once brought a girl who refused to let me touch her for two hours.”

Dr Syed Ali Wasif, a psychiatrist at the Ziauddin University Hospital, explains that the act of deriving sexual pleasure from pre-pubescent children is a sexual perversion called pedophilia. The reason for this perversion, he feels, is the levels of sexual frustration in our society. “Sex is a taboo. When people cannot talk about it, they are driven to experiment.”

“Mass migration and the fact that the city has become a crime zone also play a part. Additionally, the way sex is presented on the Internet and the media also worsens the situation.”

He believes there is need for children to be educated. “This includes saying no to candies from strangers, knowing parts of their bodies that people are not allowed to touch, and making sure they tell a trusted adult if an unpleasant act has been committed.”

http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintWriterName.aspx?URL=Sidrah%20Roghay

 

Karachi home to 500, 000 beggars

Standard

 

Karachi

 

Underneath the Kala Pul, a cluster of clumsily built houses of all shapes and sizes scatter over a hill. The top end is inhabited by Muslims, the bottom Hindus; and together they form Chanesar Goth, an area infamous as a hub for crime.

 

The locality is also known for housing one of the most established begging communities of the city, comprising mainly of Hindus. According to an estimate, about 500,000 beggars are currently stationed in the city.

 

Although there are other settlements of beggars in areas such as Musa Colony, Nazimabad no 2, Cantt Station, Manghopir and behind Karachi University; Chanesar Goth is the oldest in the city.

 

Rajesh, our guide to the area, waits by a charpoy shop, the meeting point which was decided. Though he once sold cleaning cloth at a signal by Cant Station, things turned out fairly well for the 18-year-old. He has long completed his matriculation and now works as a peon at a local bank.

 

In a grey Shalwar Kurta, he greets with a smiling face and before proceeding further, warns against the usage of a camera. “The community hates their pictures being taken.” Through a topsy-turvy road, between a Dhaba and a grocery shop, a thin lane opens. “This is where our community lives,” he points out.

 

One factor that defines the area is the strong stench of sewerage, toilet waste and rotten food. Rajesh immediately offers an apology and an explanation. “The area is generally clean,” he claims, adding that the recent celebration of Holi is the reason for the mess. “We tried to get our gutters cleaned,” Rajesh says.

 

Inside the community, it is important to be politically correct. Though the residents beg to meet their daily expenses, they do not like to be told that they do. For them, it is work.

 

It is mostly women and children who work in the profession. They collect in vehicles at nine in the morning and most return by nine in the evening, but some come back later. However, it is not all plain sailing as they have an enemy in the police, who beat them up, extort money and sometimes even take them to jail.

 

“A few days back they took my brother who sells head massagers near Cantt Station to jail,” shares Rajesh. Sometimes they bribe the police with “five hundred to a thousand rupees”. At other times, they seek the help of an influential person to get their relatives released.

 

But things are changing in the neighbourhood. The younger lot is interested in studying and a small group of parents have started sending their children to school. Some attend a private school nearby and others study at St Josephs.

 

The school goers are genuinely interested in studying. “Are you here to give us free tuitions?” asks Kumar, an 11-year-old courageous enough to lead a group of young boys and girls who have started crowding around.

 

Rana Asif, president of Initiators, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that has worked in the area for more than a decade, reveals that most of the 350 households that exist at Chanesar Goth beg for a living.

 

“But things have changed with time. Now you will be able to find drivers, electricians and tailors in the area. However, their numbers are still low because begging earns more.” Apart from the hardcore beggars, there are others who use begging as a cover or an additional source of income.

 

“There is also the transgender community at four main areas of the city. Zamazama, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Azam Basti and Gizri, but they don’t just beg and indulge in commercial sex too.” He claims they amount to 17,000 in the city.

 

There is another wave of what Asif terms “seasonal beggars”. One lot comes in Ramazan, mainly from Sindh or Southern Punjab, and the other joins the profession when fishing season is over. They are mostly Bengalis and Burmese.

 

He believes the underlying problem with these communities is “the culture of poverty”. “They are not as poor as they look and have their own system of savings through committees. But they do not know what to spend on; such as basic things needed for a decent living.”

 

And for this he believes a “little love and care” from society and a begging rehab centre from the government can do wonders. “The government has no shortage of space. The CDGK parking plaza has been empty since it was constructed and the location is ideal for a rehabilitation centre,” he retorts. Asif also alleges that the begging mafia is strongly sheltered by police officials.

 http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-4-97164-Karachi-home-to-500000-beggars