A Christian girl of only 10 years of age has been savagely raped by a local Muslim boy of only 18 years of age after he first beat her on the head with a large heavy stone.
Aleeza Younis was later left bleeding on a street corner where she was found by her father and some other locals who were out looking for her.
On 2nd September, around 5:00 pm, Zareena Bibi (55 yrs) asked her granddaughter Aleeza Younis to go to the local pharmacist a Dr Noel. She asked for Aleeza to simply check if it was open. Zareena required a medical assessment and a prescription for some medicine and was hoping to visit if the pharmacy was still open.
The pharmacy was close to the home of Zareena but quite strangely Aleeza did not return home for over 30 minutes, which was very unusual.
Zareena Bibi was extremely worried and asked Aleeza’s mother Sajida (30 yrs) to go and search for the child, to find out why she had not yet returned home.
Before Sajida had a chance to begin a search, her husband Younis Masih arrived back home from his work as a mason at a local construction site. When Sajida explained to him that Aleeza was missing from a trip to the local pharmacy he became very anxious. He immediately set out to find his daughter heading rapidly towards Mr Noel’s pharmacy as fast as his legs could carry him.
Younis spoke to the British Asian Christian Association, and described what happened, he said:
“I moved as quick as I could to the local doctor’s surgery, but when I got there it was shut.
“This heightened my concern and I found myself in a fit of panic.
“Two of my closest friends Victor John and Saif Ullah saw me looking bewildered on the streets and after I told them about Aleeza’s disappearance they joined me in searching for her.
“Without these men of God I would have been at my wits end.”
The three mean searched throughout their village but could not find Aleeza. It was getting dark and they decided to see if she had returned home, agreeing to eat some food and recommence their search later, if she was still missing. Disappointed and dejected the three men trudged back towards their homes (they are all neighbours) and found Aleeza standing on the corner of the road right in front of her home. Aleeza had blood stained clothes and tears were streaming down her face as she bawled loudly.
Younis Masih hurried towards Aleeza screaming and grabbed her into his arms and asked her what had happened. The noise of the father’s scream alerted Sajida and Zareena to their presence outside their home.
Aleeza identified a local Muslim boy named Boota Malang (18 yrs) who had hit her head with a hard stone and then put his hand around her mouth, whilst he forced her to go with him to a local cattle farm, nearby Younis’s home. Aleeza said:
“I wanted to scream but one of his hands gripped my throat tightly whenever I tried and the other covered my mouth -I could not breathe, so I had to stop.
“The nasty man, told me he would kill me if I made any more noise.
“When I got to the farm he lay on top of me with all his weight it was really painful.”
While Younis took care of his family, his friends Saif Ullah and Victor John travelled to the farm that Boota Malang worked at. They searched the whole farm and the digs he was provided as a residence. However, the young man was not at home and has now escaped from the area.
Younis Masih and Sajida then took Aleeza to a local doctor who told them that it was not in his capacity to treat Aleeza and that she should be taken to the nearest hospital immediately as she had excessive bleeding and was falling in an out of consciousness.
Our BACA officer (on right) with Younis Masih (centre).
The two parents that booked a rickshaw and quickly took Aleeza to Teaching Hospital Sahiwal. There doctors concerned about her condition put her in an intensive care unit as she was said to be in a critical condition. It was at this point that the medical team also told the parents that Aleeza had been raped and the bleeding they had noticed was not just from the massive head wound Aleeza suffered. The shocked parents have expressed the despair they felt, Sajida said:
“Aleeza is a very good child and the eldest of her siblings.
“She is normally so strong and courageous but she was clinging to her life as the knock to the head had caused a massive wound.
“When we discovered Aleeza had been raped our world collapsed, our innocent daughter had been brutally attacked by a monster.
“I just screamed and then wept for hours, waiting to see if Aleeza would pull through.
“When she regained consciousness we thanked God for his mercy.”
She added:
“I have asked the doctors whether Aleeza will be able to bear children.
“They have told me they do not know.
“We are praying for her to be restored through the power of God.”
Aleeza has since told her mother Sajida that Boota Malang saw her while she was walking to the pharmacy. He asked if he could walk with her and when she refused he disappeared. Later when she was returning home he hit her head with a large stone rendering her unconscious. he then picked her up and shut her mouth with his hands some time later when she awoke and tried to scream. “At the farm he lay on top of me the pain was too much to bear,’she said. Aleeza was admitted at the hospital for nine days while she recovered.
The next day both parents travelled to Ghalla Mandi Police Station, Sahiwal and reported the rape of their daughter. The police were extremely helpful and immediately took action. That very same day the police arrested the culprit Muhammad Boota Malang and he has not been granted bail thus far. FIR 791/21 was registered under section 376 PPC
The punishment under Section 376 of Pakistan Penal Code:
| Whoever commits rape shall be punished with death or imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than ten rears or more, than twenty-five years and shall also be liable to fine. |
British Asian Christian Association visited Teaching Hospital Sahiwal on 8th September. Our officer met with met with Aleeza and her father Younis Masih and mother Sajida.
Our officer met with Aleeza’s medical team and has been told that Aleeza is waking abruptly during the sleep and she howls when she remembers the brutal attack she survived. Aleeza is still very traumatised and she is being kept in hospital for both treatment of her physical body and her mental well-being.
Younis Masih, said:
“When I think of what has happened to my young daughter my heart breaks.
“Aleeza will be scarred for life by what this man has done, she cannot sleep without nightmares.
“His crime at such a young age on an even smaller minor is horrific, but he seems not to care.
“God will bring Boota to justice – this man must be locked away to protect other vulnerable children.”
Juliet Chowdhry, Trustee for the British Asian Christian Association, said:
“The levels of rape in Pakistan especially on minors is phenomenal.
“In recent comments made by Prime Minister Imran Khan he seems to blame the victims (click here).
“But how are children fully covered up and not in the slightest way suggestive to blame?
“It’s quite simple they are not.
“In Aleeza’s case the answer is very simply, she was a target because she comes from the vulnerable Christian community and can be attacked by Muslims with relative impunity.
“You may think I am biased as a Christian but that is exactly what Movement of Solidarity and Peace a Muslim NGO, warned the world about in 2014(click here).”
British Asian Christian Association has offered a solicitor and financial support to the family as they begin a challenge for justice. We will also be paying for any medical fees that the family require. This like many of our aid projects can be expensive. If you would like to help us protect Aleeza and many vulnerable girls like her then please donate (here) or email us on admin@britishasianchristians.org with any other offers of help.
