Pakistan has unwillingly become a victim of terrorism, ranked tenth among the states most vulnerable to terrorism. However, Pakistan is still making draconian sanctions under the covers of “chemical castration” on perpetrators of sexual assault, which can have the unintended consequence of producing more terrorists.
Continual rape cases, adultery, assault and child abuse have compelled the leaders of the state to take action against such heinous crimes. Whether it is the Zainab case or the Motorway incident, both have disrupted the peace of the country. Consequently, law enforcement agencies are trying to make a law of chemical castration to enforce on the perpetrators of forced sex. However, our lawmakers are incognizant about the ill consequences of emasculation, which can further aggravate the already turmoiling situation, rather making progress. Because of multiple reasons chemical castration can produce terrorists in this way. A person who rapes is called a rapist because of his imbalanced hormones and frustration. If he goes through chemical castration, he would probably hate women, even more, considering the gender as the cause of his shame. Ultimately, the rapist can even murder a woman. The chronological order of transforming a rapist into a murderer could become a pattern.
The reason behind the whole process is the adverse effect of chemical castration, that is psychological issues. According to Karl Marx, a renowned sociologist, in his Marxist theory, he highlighted the reason for crime, in which he stated that one of the most accurate causes to commit a crime is a psychological disorder. A person who remains depressed, suppressed, and treated indifferently by society can steadily become a criminal to seek pleasure, relief, and revenge. The same is the case with perpetrators who would go through chemical castration and probably become the perpetrators of terrorism. With the fact that terrorists brainwash those who are emotionally weak or suppressed by the community, neutered men can instantly become prey to their fraudulent tricks.
Rape is a social evil and cannot be controlled in the blink of an eye. There are multiple factors involved, which have led young men to crime. First one is global warming which has made unfavourable environmental conditions. Secondly, poverty in our country is at its peak. According to a report by the Planning and Development Department, the current poverty index is 29.5% which means 55 million people are below the poverty line. So, it has directly become a reason for rape because of hormonal imbalance due to improper nutrition and people are too poor to afford marriages too. One more authentic reason for rape is pornography, which can be a real cause of destruction. All these reasons are igniting the issue of rapes. To stop such a social evil is not only the state’s responsibility but also the utmost obligation of the public. However, a collaboration of both citizens, as well as state officials, is required.
There is a dire need to solve this huge social ill through effective measures instead of chemical castration which would further aggravate the situation. For ending rape, the cooperation of the public with the government is necessary. On an individual level, parents should teach their children about sex education. In this way, every child would be able to know about what constitutes good and bad touch. Parents should not trust others, not even their blood relations and should take care of their children on their own instead of hiring any governance or maid.
The government must make self-defence a mandatory course in every educational institution all over the country. Also, the Article 25-A of the constitution-right to education which states that the state shall provide free education to all children under the age of 5 to 16, must be followed. Women Protection Act of 2016 must be empowered again, which has become ineffective due to some stereotype theocrats. Last, but not the least media should play a positive role in this regard by depicting the severity of the crime.
To sum up, we may say that, though eruption of the violence is a stumbling block in the way of progress, chemical castration even then is not a solution to the menace. Pakistani, due to extreme territory violation along with unending terrorism is still in its embryonic stage and cannot afford further terror attacks. So, Pakistani lawmakers should make a law that would not further turmoil our peace. In fact, the law should be beneficial for the whole nation. In a nutshell, state should avoid chemical castration because it is as dangerous to Pakistan as rust to iron.
RABIA ASLAM (ENGINEER),
Lahore.