CLAAS fears for safety of Christian women in Pakistan

Lahore, Pakistan: October 23, 2010, (PCTV Newsdesk)

CLAAS fears that a bill passed to increase the protection of women in Pakistan is proving ineffective after the brutal rape of a young Christian nurse.Magdalene Ashraf, 23, was allegedly raped and thrown from the fourth floor of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre by a doctor. 

Miss Ashraf, a third year nursing student, was discovered unconscious and suffering head injuries after witnesses alerted the medical centre’s security staff. They say they saw her being thrown from the fourth floor by a man wearing a white coat. 

Dr Abdul Jabbar Memom has been accused of the attack. He suffered broken bones after jumping from the hospital building whilst attempting to flee from an angry mob.

The doctor has a reputation for drinking during working hours and it is believed that he was drunk when he carried out the alleged rape. He is currently in police custody.

The attack has prompted widespread condemnation. The Pakistan Nursing Association called it a brutal act and called for action to be taken against Dr Memom. 

Around 200 nurses from the medical centre took to the streets in protest. They were joined by members of the Major Religious Superiors’ Justice and Peace Commission.   

Nasir Saeed, Coordinator of CLAAS UK, says that persecution against Christians, and Christian women in particular, had recently increased to unprecedented levels. 

The rapes of Christian women tend to go unreported, particularly when the rapist comes from an influential family. Most victims choose to remain silent out of fear for their own safety and that of their families. 

Saeed says that the women’s protection bill recently passed by the government is failing to protect Christian women in Pakistan. 

He says: “Passing the bill was the first step. Now the Pakistani government must ensure that it is properly implemented by authorities across the country."