Sexual violence and the victim-blaming culture.

LAHORE -- The sexual assault of a woman by a mob of 400 men at the Greater Iqbal Park near Minar-i-Pakistan on Independence Day has once again brought to the fore how widespread violence against women is. And these incidents are a daily occurrence, while many go unreported for various reasons.

The latest case has once again triggered a debate - in private gatherings, on social media and TV airwaves - regarding women's safety in public and private spaces.

Some members of the public are outraged, some feel exhausted expressing outrage in the wake of every case every other day, some feel the need to keep the discussion alive to raise an awareness about women's rights.

A protest attended by hundreds of people was organised in front of Minar-i-Pakistan on Saturday to denounce the recent spate of sexual violence against women, including the one on the woman TikToker, after several videos of assaults went viral on social media.

The gathering was attended by activists, labourers, transgender persons and people from other walks of life. While some participants were sharing their experiences of harassment, a group of young men laughed at and mocked them. When some demonstrators tried to drive the unruly crowd away, it led to a heated exchange.

Near the protest gathering, tasers and pepper spray were also being sold by young entrepreneurs in a bid to help women avert any harassment.

Annie, one of the participants, believed such demonstrations were important because when the system fails the people, they take to the streets. 'It's triggering and heartbreaking.'

She believed that in such circumstances there can be no tourism or foreign investment because people travelled to places they could enjoy with their families without any fear.

Sumbal, another protester, said she was exhausted because such incidents were happening every other day and every time the victim was blamed -- by not just men, but women also. 'Even here at the protest also, there were men laughing when some victims were sharing their experiences, they were smiling sarcastically, a lot of people were just taking pictures and passing uncomfortable comments.'

Each time sexual violence is reported, there is a section of society, both men and women included, whose sole response is to question the victim, blame her for the gender-based violence she's endured, peddle fake news and social media posts -- without any verification. When hashtags such as #AllMen trend, there's always a counter...