Pakistan PM Imran Khan blames scantily dressed women for provoking sexual violence

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again blamed women for the rising incidences of sexual violence in the country.

In the ‘Axios on HBO’ interview, which was aired on June 20, he told journalist Jonathan Swan: “If a woman is wearing very few clothes it will have an impact on the man unless they are robots. It’s common sense.”

This is the second time this year that the Pakistan PM drew flak for victim-blaming. Earlier, in April, he had said in an interview to Geo News that obscenity provokes sexual violence, and that vulgar dressing is a Western import.

Blaming vulgarity for the rise of sexual violence against women in Pakistan, Khan had upheld the Islamic practice of ‘purdah’, which eliminates “temptation” from society as “not everyone has willpower”.

Justifying these remarks, Khan told Jonathan Swan: “We don’t have discotheques, we don’t have nightclubs, so, it’s a different way of life here. If you raise temptation in the society to a point and all these young guys have nowhere to go, it has consequences in the society,” he said.

When asked if he believes that a woman’s clothing can provoke sexual violence, Imran Khan said: “It depends on what society you live in. If in a society, people haven’t seen that sort of thing, it will have an impact on them. If you grow up in a society like yours, maybe it won’t have an impact.”

Reacting to his comments, Reema Omer, Legal Advisor with the International Commission of Jurists, said: “Disappointing and frankly sickening to see PM Imran Khan repeat his victim-blaming regarding reasons for sexual violence in Pakistan Men are not ‘robots’, he says. If they see women in skimpy clothes, they will get ‘tempted’ and some will resort to rape.”