The horrifying assault and gang rape of a woman driving on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway has shaken Pakistanis to the core. People want to see accountability carried out and justice done in the case and they want the country's law enforcement to ensure that all members of the public will be provided with adequate protection, irrespective of what hour of the day they decide to venture outside of their homes.
At the same time, many have also been making calls for public hangings of rapists in this case and in rape cases in general. However, do public hangings ever serve as a deterrent? Or do they only lead to further brutalisation of a society? Did the hanging of six-year-old Zainab Ansari's rapist stop further similar crimes? Is a call for public hangings an expression of fury and not in fact an actual solution to the problem?
Public hangings do nothing for victims and survivors
Violence is not the answer
The problem is bigger than we think
Nothing will change unless the mindset changes
Public hangings further brutalise societies
Teach men basic human decency and respect
Public hangings do not stop rapes, the answer lies elsewhere