Pakistani man sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping, raping, underage wife
A court in Pakistan’s conservative Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has sentenced a man (name withheld) to life imprisonment for raping and kidnapping his underage wife, the victim’s lawyer said on Monday.
“This is the first decision of its kind in the province,” the lawyer, Mian Safeer, said.
A court that deals with cases of gender-based violence in the north-western region of the country announced the decision.
The lawyer added that the court’s decision was an important step towards strengthening women’s rights in the country.
The victim was still living in her parent’s house, as the marriage ceremony had only been performed spiritually at the time of the offence but not as a civil ceremony.
According to the lawyer, the man had kidnapped the underage young girl, kept her in his house for several days after the abduction, and raped her.
The lawyer said the man was sentenced to life imprisonment for both rape and abduction and was additionally fined.
Violence against women is a recurring problem in Pakistan.
It is a society often characterised by patriarchal norms and has a population of more than 240 million.
Marital rape has been an official criminal offence in the South Asian country since 2021.
The first conviction of marital rape was reported in January when a court sentenced a man to three years in prison.
Underage marriage, often arranged by guardians and rooted in long-standing cultural and societal traditions, is common in Pakistan.
(dpa/NAN)
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette
Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices
Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”
Economy
Ogun, NNPC partner to revive Olokola LNG as $7 billion port, marine economy project shapes up
Ogun state and NNPC have started plans to revive the long-abandoned Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OKLNG) project in Ogun Waterside.
World
Jealous killer Christa Pike survives two lethal injections, hospitalised
Ms Pike remained conscious and was snoring loudly despite receiving two doses of lethal injections in a botched attempt by prison officials to carry out her death sentence.
Politics
FULL TEXT: Tinubu’s October 1 Independence Day speech
Our journey has not always been easy. In truth, it has generally been too hard for too many. We have known moments of great hope and periods of profound disappointment.
Economy
It’s time to share prosperity with Nigerians; my reforms have worked, Tinubu declares
“The emergency treatment is over,” the president declared. “The foundation has been repaired. The central economic task before us has changed.”
Economy
Tinubu shuts down ‘siren song’ of restoring fuel subsidy, says Atiku, others ‘regressive’
“Influential but regressive voices would have us abandon the treatment and return ourselves to the abuse of addictive subsidies, we must resist their siren song,” said Mr Tinubu.
World
Guterres condemns Flydubai mid-air attack, says tragedy averted
The UN chief condemned actions that could endanger passengers and compromise the safety of international civil aviation.
