Petitions calling for the public hanging of Zainab’s rapists and murderers are not the means by which real justice will be done to Zainab and the countless other victims like her, whose case did not make it to the public limelight. By Maria Hussain.

True justice involves the uprooting of a culture which allows for crimes like this to flourish, unquestioned. 

The uprooting of a shame culture, in which victims would rather commit suicide than admit to the crime which has been perpetrated against them, because they are well aware of the backlash that they and their families will face from within society. 
Yes, the victims face the backlash in such shame cultures, not the perpetrator.

What use are protest and uproar, petitions and tears in a country where people also take to the streets in uproar against the changing of laws which stipulate the victim of rape must prove her ordeal by producing four, sane, male witnesses. 

And should she fail to provide proof backing her accusations, she, the victim herself is to be punished. 

If we are genuine in our call for justice for Zainab, then it falls upon us to cause uproar against a culture which muffles the voices of its victims, demands silence in the face of the vilest and most horrific crimes, and allows the perpetrators to walk free; monsters, predators, seeking out their next victim. 

Zainab was the ninth victim, in just one district, what are the names of the eight who went before her, and the countless who are abused and disposed of daily? 
Does anyone know?

We’ll finish with some statistics:
- A report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan estimated that in 2009, 46 percent of unlawful female killings in Pakistan were “honour killings”.  
(Honour killing – the killing of a relative, especially a girl or a woman, who is said to have brought dishonour on the family).

- Kainat Soomro was a 13-year-old school girl, when she was kidnapped and gang raped for four days. Her protest has led to the murder of her brother, a death sentence from the elders of her village, and threats from the rapists, who after four years still remained at large. 

Today Kainat is a vocal campaigner for women's rights as she struggles for justice in her own case and tries to overturn the traditional, conservative culture that expects rape victims to suffer in silence. 

- In 2002, 30-year-old Mukhtaran Bibi was gang raped on the orders of the village council as an "honour rape" after allegations that her 12-year-old brother had had sexual relations with a woman from a higher caste.

Although custom would expect her to commit suicide after being raped, Mukhtaran spoke up, and pursued the case, which was picked up by both domestic and international media. 

On 1 September 2002, an anti-terrorism court sentenced 6 men (including the 4 rapists) to death for rape. In 2005, the Lahore High Court cited "insufficient evidence" and acquitted 5 of the 6 convicted, and commuted the punishment for the sixth man to a life sentence. Mukhtaran and the government appealed this decision, and the Supreme Court suspended the acquittal and held appeal hearings. 

In 2011, the Supreme Court too acquitted the accused. Mukhtār’s story was the subject of a Showtime (TV network) documentary called Shame, directed by Mohammed Naqvi.

The list is endless, and that only of the cases reported. 
Uproar at one isolated incident will not uproot the evils prevalent within the culture, but only when such evil is uprooted, will real justice be achieved, and future victims protected.

#JusticeForZainab
Submitted by: Maria Hussain Drive For Justice