#MeToo: Pakistani celebrity women share stories of abuse

Islamabad: The barbarous incident in Pakistan in which a seven-year-old girl was brutally raped and murdered triggered Pakistan’s #MeToo moment.

According to the news reported in Hindustan Times, this moment shared the experiences of top celebs coming out in the open about their experiences of sexual abuse in their childhood.

Freiha Altaf, a Fashion icon and former super model tweeted that “I was sexually abused by our cook at age six.” She also added that “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.”

Nadia Jamil, a television and stage actor shared her experience about child sexual abuse and said that “I was four the first time I was abused sexually,” Jamil tweeted. “I was in college when it blew out of proportion. People tell me not to talk to respect my family’s honour. Is my family’s honour packed in my body? I am a proud, strong, loving survivor. No shame on me or my kids. Only pride for being me.”

Maheen Khan, a fashion designer said that “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.”

https://twitter.com/Maheenkhanpk/status/952541580291960835

Last week in Karachi, Singer Shahzad Roy led a protest against child sexual abuse and he said that claimed that “out of every five children, one is subjected to sexual abuse”.

He further said that “Most of the cases go unreported because there are laws for protection, and we need to spread awareness about them.”

Mahira Khan, an actor, also told that “We need to understand the fact that a majority of the time, it’s someone close to the family who is the perpetrator.”

She continued that “the important thing is we have to start talking about it – that sexual education should form a part of our curriculum”.

A week has been finished since the incident took place but no arrests have been made. The police believe that the girl was the ninth victim of a suspected serial killer aged between 25 and 30 years.

The brutal rape and murder of seven-year-old child triggered protests in Lahore and other cities in Pakistan.
To provide protection to children from sexual and other kinds of abuse, a campaign has been launched on social media.