Pakistani women share which clothes they were wearing when they were harassed or assaulted

Rape has nothing to do with what a woman wears!

Mahnoor Jalal

Mahnoor Jalal

Sub-Editor

Trigger Warning: Harassment, Rape, Sexual Assault

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s words shocked the nation yesterday when during an interview he said that women who wear skimpy or less clothing would ultimately attract men, since they are not robots.

Rape has nothing to do with the clothing of the woman, but it has everything to do with the misogynist mindset of the man and the society that continues to let him get away with his actions and blame the victim. Women on Twitter de-cried this misogynist statement by the PM and labelled him as a “rape apologist” for choosing time and time again to ignore the voices of countless victims as cases of molestation and harassment continue to rise. One Twitter user encouraged other women to step up and share stories of the clothes they were wearing and their ages when they were harassed by a man:

This user shared that she was wearing her school uniform and was harassed while she was coming back from school

 

Another user shared that she was standing near the Holy Kaabah and was wearing a pardah when she was groped by a man

Another user revealed that she was harassed by her molvi saab when she was eight years old and was wearing clothes that completely covered her entire body

These comments have clarified to all of us that time and time again, it has never been the dupatta on our heads or the abaya that has saved a woman from harassment or sexual assault. Even more so, this statement coming out when just three days ago, a madrassa once again was brought under investigation when a molvi saab was caught molesting a young boy, prove that rape has everything to do with power.

Instead of dismissing victims and blaming them for their actions, we need to collectively come together to push for legal reform that holds rapists and harassers accountable for their actions.