Five teenagers raped after relative demands wages

Five girls were gang raped in the Pakistan province of Punjab after a relative of the girls asked a landlord to pay him his wages.

According to the Indian Express, Muhammad Boota agreed to harvest the crops of two local landlords, Mara Jat and Zaheer Jat. When Boota asked to be paid the previously agreed upon amount, the landlords became irate and warned Boota there would be "dire consequences". Both landlords, along with an unidentified number of aides, returned to Boota's home later in the evening and proceeded to tie up Boota and his wife. The Deccan Herald reports that the group then kidnapped and gang raped Boota's 13-year-old daughter, along with four of his nieces, ages 15, 18, 13 and 14. Boota and his wife were able to free themselves and began searching for the girls, eventually finding them in a nearby field. Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of the area, responded to the scene and directed police officers to place the suspects under arrest. Three of the suspects have been taken into custody according to the Express Tribune. According to The International News, a woman is raped every two hours in Pakistan, and a gang rape occurs every eight hours. Pakistan's Hudood Ordinance requires that the accused either confess to the act of rape, or four adult Muslim men who witnessed the rape must testify on behalf of the victim. If the victim is unable to prove the rape allegation, she can be charged with fornication or adultery. It is unclear at the time of publication whether the ordinance will be used in this case. Officer Chaudhry Muhammad Iqbal did state that the initial medical exam confirmed the girls had been raped.