ASIA/PAKISTAN - Catholic nurse raped: the Church defends the rights of women

Karachi (Agenzia Fides) – Magdalene Ashraf, a 22 year old Catholic student nurse, was raped on 13 July by a Muslim doctor. After a fall from a window at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, in Karachi, where she was training, the student nurse with injuries to her head and legs is in critical conditions. The doctor has been arrested and the police are seeking to ascertain whether the girl jumped from the hospital window or was pushed. According to Fides' sources in Karachi, the Catholic community is under shock, civil society groups, including Catholic and Muslim organisations, have staged street protests against violence on women in Pakistan.
“We support Magdalene and her family, and are close to them for any need and support, legal or other”, Saleh Diego, head of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic diocese of Karachi told Fides. “The family fears more violence and is concerned for the future ”, he said. “The case brings to the fore the question of women's rights and dignity in Pakistan. The local Catholic Church actively promotes respect for the dignity, education and basic freedoms of women ”, the priest told Fides.
Violence in Pakistan is also combated by the Alliance Against Sexual Harassment AASHA. The word aasha in Urdu means 'hope'. AASHA, an alliance of Pakistan and international NGOs, has worked for more than 10 years to protect women. Rukhsana Shama of Action Aid - Pakistan, an AASHA member, told Fides: “ Widespread violence against women is a very serious issue in Pakistan society. This violence takes on various forms, sexual, domestic, violence to prevent women from access to education. The situation is especially serious in the province of Punjab where women are literally enslaved by restrictive cultural and social traditions and practices connected with religious fundamentalism ”.
The government of President Ali Zardari in March 2010 approved what is termed the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill ”. “This is a step forward but not enough”, said Shama “ If we want to see real change, the Bill must be put into practice. The root problem is the subaltern role of women in Pakistani society, a role which violates women's rights and dignity: this is the origin of violence ” (PA) (Agenzia Fides 17/7/2010)