Police reform
POLICE brutality and abuse of authority are problems law-enforcement agencies worldwide have to contend with. However, in Pakistan, it appears that black sheep in uniform can make a mockery of the law with impunity. As documented in this paper’s Tuesday edition, a number of police officers in Karachi have been involved in kidnappings for ransom in the chaotic metropolis. These include policemen of the rank of SHO and inspector. These crooked cops have kidnapped traders and businessmen, barged into homes and demanded millions of rupees in ransom. In fact, their behaviour has been that of gangland thugs, not officers of the law. One individual even had the gall to use an official police van to collect ransom.
Karachi is certainly not alone when it comes to policemen committing crimes. Despite the sacrifices and efforts of honest officers to fight crime, the image that prevails in Pakistan is of a corrupt, inefficient force that preys on the citizenry and is beholden to its political masters. For many years, officialdom has been talking of police reform, yet few visible changes have been observed in the workings of police departments countrywide. Perhaps the main problem is that the legislative and administrative framework that governs policing here is outdated. Apart from KP, where a new police law was introduced earlier this year, the other provinces and regions of Pakistan either function under the Police Act of 1861, or under a hybrid of this law and the Police Order, 2002. Aping the colonial model has produced dismal results, as today’s challenges are entirely different. Today, rather than worrying about controlling rowdyism or nabbing pickpockets, police officers have to deal with sophisticated and ruthless militants and criminal syndicates. Unless the legal and administrative structure is changed to respond to the needs of the day, criminality within the force will be difficult to eliminate.
Experts have stressed the need for community policing; instead of the image of the police officer as an ‘outsider’, what is needed is the recruitment of bright and service-oriented men and women who are known in their communities and neighbourhoods and are able to build bridges with citizens. Moreover, officers of repute must be given security of tenure and not transferred due to political whims. An independent system of lodging and investigating claims of police abuse must also be instituted. Police officers need to be given competitive service structures, with good pay and benefits; if individuals resort to corrupt practices thereafter, they must be shown the door. The federal, provincial and local governments, and civil society representatives, must all give their input on how to reform the police. Specifically, there are many serving and retired officers of impeccable repute that should be consulted on how to fix the rot. Above all, those who break the law while in uniform must be brought to justice.
Online abuse hotline
AS many women already know, the online space is not a level playing field — and violence is not always physical. The freedom that the internet affords can, in the hands of depraved and unscrupulous individuals, lead to consequences that can take a serious toll on women’s emotional well-being as well as their personal and work relationships. From trolling to blackmailing with images of an intimate nature posted on social media forums, women are subjected to a gamut of online abuse. The launch of Pakistan’s first cyber harassment hotline today by the advocacy group Digital Rights Foundation is thus a timely and much-needed initiative. It will provide legal advice, digital security support, psychological counselling and a referral system for those that call in for help.
Online abuse directed at women is a global problem. However, it takes on a particularly dark edge in societies such as Pakistan. Here, traditional notions of honour, shame and social acceptance come into violent conflict with modern, digital means of communication and information-sharing. Spurned suitors, former partners and even complete strangers can use social media or their smartphones as a means of shaming their target through explicit images, fake or otherwise. Those working to promote a safe digital environment describe online abuse as a ‘silent epidemic’, with many at the receiving end unwilling to speak to family members about it in order to avoid further humiliation and/or for fear that the hard-won freedom to study or work will be lost. Some have even committed suicide, unable to deal with the relentless harassment. Conservative norms, as with other crimes against women, thus end up shielding perpetrators from the consequences of their actions. It takes a brave woman such as the teacher in Lahore, whose story appeared in this paper yesterday, to stand her ground against family elders urging her to reach an out-of-court settlement with her harasser, and instead see to it that he was punished under the law. The man, who had hacked into her Facebook account and uploaded doctored images of her on it, was sentenced to two years in prison. It is, therefore, important to have a hotline where victims of harassment can seek assistance and informed advice; the media too should take up the issue. While the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, tends to excessively limit personal freedoms, a judicious use of this law can deter people from committing the crime of cyber harassment.
HIV testing
WORLD AIDS Day — that is being observed today — reminds us that governments need to address gaps in HIV prevention, testing and treatment services. Even with the widespread availability of drug treatment, a latest UN report points to the spread of new infections among adults because millions miss out on life-saving treatment. The reasons for this include the low rates of testing and adherence to treatment — this is partly a result of the stigma attached to HIV infection. In Pakistan, the absence of preventive strategies and low antiretroviral therapy coverage thanks to flawed policies has increased infection rates. Factors for HIV transmission include poverty, low literacy and gender-related discrimination, ignorance about the disease and societal stigma that prevents victims from seeking a diagnosis. With high HIV rates prevailing in traditional risk groups — injecting drug users and transgender sex workers — proper treatment and monitoring through basic health systems, safe blood transfusions, and preventing mother-to-child transmission are part of the solution.
From 2005 to 2015, HIV infections increased from 8,360 to 45,990. Situated along the busiest drug-trafficking corridors, Pakistan has increased drug usage involving the utilisation of infected, shared syringes. Priority must be given to detoxification and rehabilitation services alongside HIV testing and treatment. Sustained public-awareness drives against drugs and advocating safe sex are part of the fight. Because devolution has reversed many gains made by the National AIDS Control Programme, multi-sector coordination at the federal and provincial levels should be prioritised. In KP, the jail population, which includes many drug users, remains at high risk. Unfortunately, the provincial AIDS Control Programme has received zero finances for two years and social taboos are attached to distributing condoms among vulnerable groups. Given that the Pakistan AIDS Strategy (2015-2020) aims to curb new infections and improve the health of those living with HIV, disease-control plans must be shared. To add, community home-based healthcare that also focuses on HIV prevention could help raise awareness.
Published in Dawn December 1st, 2016