Forced abortion leads to death of allegedly raped Bahawalpur woman

In Bahawalpur a “forced abortion” led to the death of a 21-year-old expecting mother, who was allegedly raped, police said on Friday.

According to police, the incident took place in Bahawalpur’s Ahmadpur East Tehsil.

Woman’s family alleged

The woman’s family has alleged that their daughter was raped for five months by a man “pretending to tutor her”.

They have further alleged that their daughter was given medicine obtained from a quack which led to the abortion and ultimately, her death.

According to the woman’s parents:

She was in a critical condition when she was taken to Bahawalpur’s Victoria Hospital, where she died.

The police said:

A case has been registered against four suspects, adding that the main suspect and three of his accomplices have escaped.

Abortion still a taboo or afraid of victim-shaming?

Most women seeking abortions belong to poorer social level.

Because they lack the resources, they are not able to pay the private fees for safe abortions.

The services they seek through traditional Dayas is risky business, but women are helpless in seeking safer options.

Most of the cases that reach the hospital are usually complicated due to incomplete abortions that were undertaken by midwives and quack doctors.

The main reasons that hospitals noted for abortion were mostly due to rape and then comes poverty or low income households.

In this case it was due to rape. It seemed as if parents were too afraid to be seen, while their daughter was undergoing this “taboo” -ed thing.

Whereas that girl could’ve survived if this taboo never existed in our society.

People come to victim blaming in case of rape.

But in this time, we also saw those people who were supporting the victim and were trying everything in their power to help catch the rapist i.e. the motorway rape incident.

Pakistan’s government should take these demands seriously.

Women and girls in Pakistan face abuses including impunity for so-called “honor violence” against them:

1. Danger on the way to school

2. Abuses in prison

3. Denial of care in hospitals

4. Sexual harassment in the workplace.

Worse yet, police themselves have been implicated in rape in Pakistan.

Women and girls will not have the freedom they are entitled to:

1. To study

2. Work

3. Live

Until the government does more to protect their rights.