The brutal rape and murder of 10-year-old Farishta has triggered a social media outcry with demands of justice. Several actors, including Mahira Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi and Bilal Ashraf, have also tweeted in support of the hashtag #JusticeForFarishta.
Mahira Khan, in fact, teamed up with Shehzad Roy’s Zindagi Trust to talk about child sexual abuse at a press conference that was held on Thursday and was joined by Zeba Bakhtiar and cricketer Younis Khan.
Mahira shed light on the importance of knowing the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touch at the press con, and how imperative it is to teach this to our children early on. “Children aren’t taught what an inappropriate touch is. Teachers and parents need to teach children these things,” she said.
Younis Khan and Zeba Bakhtiar spoke in the Pushto language about how problematic the culture of preserving honor can be.
Sick to my stomach. Stop sharing graphic images of the poor child. For Gods sake! @Twitter is there not a way to disable people from uploading such content online??!! #justiceForFarishta
— Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) May 21, 2019
#JusticeForFarishta If we claim tht we derive our constitution from Quran, then demons like Zainab/Farishta's rapists/murderers guilty of Fasaad fil Ardh should be killed in a "PAINFUL MANNER" (example Stoned to Death or crucifixion till death). May Allah help us all. pic.twitter.com/CZDHXquMmt
— Hamza Ali Abbasi (@iamhamzaabbasi) May 22, 2019
The Zindagi Trust, founded by Shehzad Roy, strives for better education for our children. Keeping in line with their vision, they hosted the press conference in collaboration with Aahung to rally for the introduction of Life Skills Based Education (LSBE) to our local school curriculum in an effort to curb cases of child sexual abuse. The LSBE program incorporates a wide-ranging curriculum that aims to promote better reproductive health information. It also promotes teaching personal management skills to children and adolescents with respect to their emerging mental capacities.
Mahira Khan, Younis Khan and Shehzad Roy at the press conference for Zindagi Trust
Prior to the press conference, Zindagi Trust posted a thread of tweets essaying their demands from the state. “The state needs to prioritize the prevention of #ChildAbuse as a structural issue that needs systemic change, not band-aids like task forces or committees that never meet,†they tweeted.
Mahira was earlier made the target of online trolling after she tweeted her sentiments regarding the young girl’s rape and murder. The replies to her tweet sparked a sensitive debate on whether the entertainment industry promoted rape culture, which led to Mahira slamming the critics. “The ‘vulgarity’ causes someone to go rape a 10 year old and then kill her? Get a grip. It’s the mindset!,” she tweeted.
Really? The ‘vulgarity’ causes someone to go rape a 10 year oldand then kill her? Get a grip. It’s the mindset! It’s the shame associated with it. And no I will not back off. My voice. My life. I will do whatever I want with it. https://t.co/exOTug98pj
— Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) May 23, 2019
