Will rape stop in Pakistan by making rapists impotent

The Central Government Cabinet meeting led by Prime Minister Imran Khan approved the punishment for being castrated for rape. But can strict punishment or law protect women from rape?

Following the government\'s decision, the BBC spoke to rape victims, their families, social workers, and legal experts.

\'It may be good for the government to implement stringent punishment in rape cases, but just by tightening the punishment will not cure everything.\'

These are the words of a mother appearing in court in the rape of her daughter. Ameena (name changed) says, \"Despite severe punishment, justice is not possible, nor are there any shortages in rape cases.\"

Speaking to the BBC in September, Amima said that the police were explaining to them that the rape case of their daughter was very weak. According to Ameema, a young man of his identity raped his daughter six months ago, and then he was pressurizing the people of the community to get her married to his daughter. But Amima did not want to marry her daughter to him.

A six-year-old girl victim of rape spoke to a BBC correspondent in the city of Baloch. This girl had told that after the incident, the attitude of the society has changed towards her and no one wanted to believe her story.

When he was asked about the decision of Pakistan\'s cabinet on Monday, he said that he is against such strict punishment because it will not stop crimes.

The verdict has been reserved in the case of a 24-year-old rape victim. His father had told Humara Kanwal of the BBC that it was not easy for him to appear in court. However, he calls the government\'s decision a good step.

He says, \"If a convict is castrated, then he will remain with shame for life. It will become an example for the rest of the people. All such taunts will kill such a person in society. The lives of people who commit such crimes will not be easy again.

According to him, \'I do not think there will be any benefit to hang such criminals. It is better to punish him while he is alive and make him an example for the rest.

Manze Bano, who works with a non-governmental organization working for the protection of children, says that more than two thousand children have been victims of violence so far this year. Many of them have been brutally murdered.

According to him, the punishment to castrate a person will create fear in society. Although she says that this is not the ultimate solution to this problem.

She says that in a society in which patriarchy dominates, this kind of punishment would be a shock to men. According to him, the biggest challenge is to implement the laws.

Giving information about the decision taken in the cabinet meeting, Union Minister Shibli Faraz had said that Prime Minister Imran Khan was deeply saddened by the rape of a mother and her daughter in Sindh. After this, he gave instructions to the Law Ministry. He said that an ordinance should be brought so that those who commit such crimes cannot escape the grip of the law.

According to the information minister Shibli Faraz, a decision of severe punishment was taken as the incidents of rape are increasing in the country. Such incidents have started happening with innocent women and girls.

According to Shibli Faraz, the cabinet under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister approved strict punishment in principle and asked the Law Ministry to prepare ordinances soon.

According to the press release issued after the meeting, the Prime Minister has said that such crimes cannot be tolerated in any civilized society.

The cabinet has approved Anti-rape (Investigation and Trial) Ordinance 2020 and Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Ordinance 2020.

Approving the ordinance of chemical castration, the Prime Minister said, \"We must provide a safe environment for women in our society.\"

Replying to a question, Information Minister Shibli Faraz said, \'We think this law will bring good changes. This will prevent such crimes and the culprits will be punished severely.

According to him, new definitions have been added to the law.

According to Shibli Faraz, apart from being chemically castrated, this stern punishment includes a death sentence. According to him, the ordinance that is being brought will be ready in a week.

It is also important to note that if this ordinance is not approved within 120 days in the Parliament of Pakistan, then it will be neutralized. Apart from this, Parliament also has the right to neutralize it by a majority.

According to Union Law Minister Farog Naseem, Parliament is not running right now, so this law is being brought through ordinance.

Barrister Shehzad Akbar, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Internal Affairs, has said in a tweet that the ordinance has been brought to stop raping girls and women following the Prime Minister\'s Guidelines.

According to him, apart from the provision of strict punishment, provisions are also being made for a quick and fair investigation.