A
video of a Police raid on a brothel in Johar town, Lahore is making rounds on
social media now days. That video is thought provoking to say the least. It
makes you to think and question not only the quality of policing in our country
but also about the problems which serve as the stimulants for committing a
crime.
It
is important that we understand that why a woman decides to sell her body.
Frankly the women from the video were not nymphomaniacs or sex addicts their
customers could be these two things but they were not. The glamorous and unreal
portrayal of prostitutes in media, make us to think of them with a more materialistic
perspective. There is a need to impart more realistic and humane understanding
of the issue and also we should know that a prostitute is not Pretty Woman
(1990) or Amrao Jan Ada or Pakeeza.
The
thing is the way those women were treated in that video, only makes me to have
sympathy for them. They were doing something that is both illegal and immoral
but at the same time risky and unsafe as any exploitation or an abuse by the
customer cannot be reported. In short whatever they do, they are not protected
by the law. Still knowing the consequences of their action, they did it. The
severity of their compulsion has to be examined before making any judgmental
statement about them.
Though
many would argue and suggest alternatives but it should be kept in mind that
not everyone has the luxury of making a choice. Keeping in mind the recent
sluggish economy and the stagnation it is facing, the downsizing and the
inflation, it is not hard for any sane person to understand the problems of a
common man. It is natural to have an increase in crime in such circumstances
and generally it is observed that under such circumstances prostitution tend to
increase too. Usually not considered as economic indicators but they surely
serve as the indicators of a bad or sluggish economy. It is pertinent to
mention here that none of those ill fated women were from any posh locality of
Lahore; they belonged to middle class or lower middle class localities.
I am not trying to say that legalize prostitution. I am just saying that kindly
show some empathy towards them; arrest them, take whatever actions the law
states and permits but do not name or shame them. Be considerate of their
problems and reasons. Once there was a
famine in Medina, Hazrat Umar (R. A) was the khalifa, he suspended the
punishment of amputation for theft on the premise that state is unable to
provide for its citizens and such situations can push an individual to take
drastic actions. Today, if we look around we see that many are facing financial
hardships. We have to accept that financial recession brings with it rise in
the crime rate. It is wrong but hunger and desperation can justify any action. So, it is very important that we should be
considerate of the stimuli behind the crime
The
motto of the police states “nafrat jurm say mujrim say nahee” thus videos like
these where the offender is ridiculed and humiliated then there is little room
left for correction and penance. The police should know that after the
punishment the offender has to return to the society, with their identity blown
there is very little space for them to return to a normal life and this will
push them further in the world of crime and immorality. Above that videos like
these do not improve the already tarnished image of our police on the contrary
they turn out to be counterproductive and further damage the institution.
