THE news on Friday of sexual abuse and murder of a 13-year-old schoolgirl in Karachi was yet another horrifying episode in the process of improving the deteriorating law and order situation in the city.

The girl was taken away from the school by a woman, said to be her acquaintance, on Sept 24 and since then she went missing.

Her parents also got a ransom call before her sexually abused body was found on the Seaview beach.

However, it seems money was not what the kidnappers wanted.

Followed by a shocking incident of gang-rape of a five-year-old girl just a couple of weeks ago in Lahore, the rape and killing of the young girl in Karachi clearly indicates that the cases of girls being victims of sexual assault are rampant in the country.

In addition to this, women are being killed in the name of honour in rural areas, they are being deprived of their right to education, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa, and are being subjected to a number of other heinous atrocities.

Even in the 21st century, when developed countries think beyond gender discrimination and endeavour to make life easier, the subcontinent is still stuck on petty issues of giving rights to the minorities and women.

There is a dire need of public awareness of the importance of giving equal rights to women in society.

The elements that make up our society should devise appropriate ways to address the issue before another innocent soul becomes victim of barbarism.

AHSAN ALI SHAIKH
Karachi