Nadia Jamil, Frieha Altaf, Maheen Khan share experiences of sexual assault

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PakistanToday
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The horrific and barbaric rape and murder of eight-year-old Zainab Amin in Kasur has not only sparked immense outrage, it has also led to a much-needed dialogue and discussion on a topic that has been brushed under the carpet for far too long.

Members of the entertainment industry, including Mahira Khan, Ayesha Omar, Faysal Qureshi and Sanam Saeed, came together and held peaceful demonstrations and called for justice for Zainab along with spreading awareness about sexual abuse and misconduct.

Following this, Nadia Jamil, Frieha Altaf and Maheen Khan, also took to Twitter and shared their accounts of sexual abuse and called for a change to take place so that the perpetrators of this act are punished.

In a series of tweets, Nadia wrote, “I was 4 the first time I was abused sexually. I was in college when it blew out of proportion. People tell me not to talk to respect my families honour. Is my families honour packed in my body? I am a proud, strong, loving survivor. No shame on me or my kids. Only pride 4 being me.”

“When I was sexually abused it was by my Kari Sahab, my Driver & then by a highly educated elite families son. Now a happily married businessman in London. It’s across the board. Men abuse across the board. My family still wants me to stay silent. But the shame IS NOT MINE! Never ever.”

She called out for the shame to be on the men and not those who have been abused: “Every time a child is sexually abused he/she is me. I will never shut up about it. & I will always say to the child, the child’s families, you, there is no shame for the abused survivor & we can help lead them to a joyful positive productive life. The shame is on the MEN who abuse.”

Nadia also presented a solution for this stigma, writing, “The cure is literacy, poverty alleviation and an empathetic education that counters all patriarchal, misogynistic discourse on women, women’s bodies & male entitlement to sexual gratification for power. PLUS awareness & protection workshops 4 Kids, schools, parents!”

“I only share it so more women & men who have been abused STOP feeling SHAME & see there is a light inside them Allah has kept burning. Shine it! There is a way out of the hell of humiliation & pain. We can make it out & up to a beautiful place of gratitude! Always! Shukar always!” she concluded.

Similarly, model turned choreographer and event manager Frieha Altaf, also shared her experience on Twitter, where she wrote, “I was sexually abused by our cook at age 6. My parents took action but everyone remained silent as if it was my shame. At 34 I realised how it had impacted my life. The only shame is keeping SILENT.”

Fashion designer Maheen Khan also wrote her story in a tweet which read, “The Maulvi who came to teach me the Quran abused me sexually. I froze in fear day after day. Share in support of children subjected to the sick acts ..by so-called custodians of our religion.”

The accounts of these powerful women was well-received and people applauded them for being brave enough to share their experience so that the stigma surrounding this is removed.

Senator Sherry Rehman wrote on Twitter, “Heart dents, every time I hear of abuse. It’s v brave of u Frieha Altaf and Nadia Jamil to be speaking out, giving courage and support to other victims. The shame is not your’s, it is our society’s, that you had to suffer in silence. Kudos for speaking out.”

Fashion designer Hassan Shehryar (HSY) also applauded these brave women. “I think it’s incredibly brave of women like Frieha Altaf, Nadia Jamil and Maheen Khan to not only speak up against sexual abuse but to share their own experiences with it,” he wrote in a tweet.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. The devils must be hung publicly.No hue & cry from so called human right activists. Is Pak. a banana republic.are successive govts. dysfunctional. Yes yes yes. The bradari system must end the rouge police must be punished.

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