WATCH: Seemal Hashmi tells how to confront men harassing women

Broadcast Journalist, News Anchor and TV Host Seemal Hashmi captured the moment men passed comments to harass women and how she confronted the harassers in a brave style in the busy market of Lahore.

Seemal Hashmi visited a local market in Lahore with a plan to expose harassment incidents and teach women a way to confront such people.

خواتین کے سہمے سہمے انکشافات بنام سرکار۔۔۔

دیکھیے آج رات 8بج کر 5 منٹ پر @city42 pic.twitter.com/jBCPRxsqHX

— Seemal Hashmi (@hashmi_seemal) January 9, 2022

She shared different videos on Twitter in which she spotted men hurling perverted comments on women who are visiting the market. Hashmi was also among the women who faced the same situation in the busy market and nobody except her paid attention to it.

In a video, she immediately turned her side of the camera to the man standing alongside a shop after he said, “Have it”. At first, he got extremely confused and refused to admit to passing any remark by saying that he was not the one but another shopkeeper.

After Hashmi’s insistence, the young man said that the shopkeepers are used to hurling such comments for calling the women to the shop. Then he stepped back from his previous statement and said that he called her sister first.

ایک اور۔۔۔ pic.twitter.com/IRqAL6sJDl

— Seemal Hashmi (@hashmi_seemal) January 9, 2022

In another video, Seemal Hashmi caught a man after he allegedly passed a comment to go to Murree. She asked the man why he has passed such a suggestion to go Murree. He bluntly replied that he wants her to shoot some videos in Murree.

گھٹیا پن چیک کریں ایسے ہوتے ہیں بدتمیز اور ڈھیٹ لوگ۔۔۔
گزرتے گزرتے جملے کس دو۔۔۔ کوئی سامنا کرے تو بات بدل کے ڈھیٹ ۔۔#Murree #harassment pic.twitter.com/ZDfGaJHNLi

— Seemal Hashmi (@hashmi_seemal) January 9, 2022

The third video showed a man hiding behind other shopkeepers when Hashmi turned to her after he passed a comment in a distorted way, “Madam, come here.” He did not show courage to face the female journalist who repeatedly asked him to come forward to answer her queries.

Thats what they do… and if you confront them they ll run away!
This needs to stop now.. we girls should take control in our own hands… whats your take?#harassment #thisneedstostop pic.twitter.com/u3MPvYc4YW

— Seemal Hashmi (@hashmi_seemal) January 9, 2022

Seemal Hashmi wrote, “Thats what they do… and if you confront them they ll run away! This needs to stop now.. we girls should take control in our own hands… whats your take?”

Rape, harassment incidents in 2020

According to the fourth Punjab Gender Parity Report 2019 and 2020 prepared by the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, Punjab had recorded a rise in sex crimes including rape, harassment in 2020 as compared to 2019 besides witnessing the highest number of rape cases in Lahore.

Punjab had reported 8,797 cases of sex crimes, kidnapping and domestic violence cases in 2020 which stood at 8,767 in 2019.

Rape emerged as the most reported crime against women in Lahore in 2020 as the provincial capital recorded 4,732 cases besides witnessing the highest number of domestic violence cases at 645.

Lahore reported 614 cases of sex crimes out of a total of 4,056 in Punjab with an overall reduction of 0.8 per cent from 4,090 in 2019 to 4,056 in 2020.