June 2026 has proven to be a devastating month for women and girls in Pakistan, with a series of horrific cases of rape and murder across the country. The violence has sparked outrage and despair, as citizens demand action from authorities.
Recent Cases of Violence
In Gujranwala, Punjab, a 16-year-old girl narrowly escaped abduction while walking with her sisters. In Ghotki, Sindh, a teenage girl was gang-raped while working in a landlord's field alongside her parents; the assault was filmed to blackmail the family into silence. In Karachi, three-year-old Kulsoom was raped and murdered, her body delivered in a flour sack to her doorstep, discovered by her grandfather. In Lahore, an 18-year-old domestic worker died after months of severe torture and repeated rape at the hands of her employer's son and the family driver. In Sargodha, eight-year-old Muntaha, sent to buy cheese, was found raped and murdered on a shop rooftop.
International Rankings and Statistics
Pakistan has signed international treaties to protect children from discrimination, prostitution, armed conflict, and child labor, yet violence persists. Concern Worldwide ranks Pakistan the worst country for women's rights, and the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025 places it last. According to media reports, Pakistan recorded 3,630 child abuse cases in 2025, with girls making up 52% of victims, an 8% increase from the previous year.
Public Outrage and Institutional Failure
Citizens are exhausted by institutional failures, expressing grim satisfaction when rapists are killed in police encounters and refusing burial in neighborhood graveyards. The author calls for swift action, stating, "We must stop feeding our children to predators; stop turning death sentences for paedophiles into life sentences." The op-ed concludes with a quote from Nelson Mandela: "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children," adding, "Pakistan, your soul is rotting!"
