Pakistan man Sentenced to Three Years in Prison for Forcing Wife to Have Non-Consensual Sex
A man in Pakistan has been handed a three-year prison sentence for forcing his wife to have sex without her consent, marking a landmark conviction in the country’s battle against marital rape. The man, identified as Javed, was found guilty of sodomising his wife under Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The sessions court sentenced Javed to three years of rigorous imprisonment and ordered him to pay a fine of Rs30,000 (£84.5). Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional month of imprisonment, the court warned.
You may also like to watch : Who Is Kamala Harris? Biography - Parents - Husband - Sister - Career - Indian - Jamaican Heritage
Pakistan, like many other South Asian countries, does not have a specific law criminalising forced sex within a marriage. However, Bahzad Akbar, the lawyer representing the survivor, argued that sodomy falls within the definition of rape and marital rape following an amendment made to the penal code in 2021.
“This is certainly the first such conviction over marital rape in Sindh following the amendment,” Akbar told local newspaper, The News.
The survivor testified that her husband had been forcing her to perform oral and anal sex since their marriage in July 2022. Despite her attempts to stop him, the abuse continued. She informed her mother-in-law two months into the marriage, but the mother-in-law did not take any action.
The survivor eventually filed a police complaint against her husband in November 2022. Additional sessions judge Ashraf Hussain Khowaja acknowledged that the victim had provided sufficient evidence to establish the commission of sodomy by her husband.
You may also like to watch: Is US-NATO Prepared For A Potential Nuclear War With Russia - China And North Korea?
It is worth noting that there have been no previous convictions of marital rape in Pakistan. This case sets a significant precedent in the country’s legal system and sends a strong message that non-consensual sex within a marriage will not be tolerated.
The conviction is a step forward in the fight against marital rape in South Asia, where the conversation surrounding this issue remains limited. It highlights the urgent need for stronger legislation and increased awareness to protect victims and hold perpetrators accountable..
