A teenage girl has approached Okara police to act against her two brothers who “repeatedly raped” her over the past three years.

According to an FIR lodged at Hujra Shah Muqeem Police Station on Feb 13, Aaina Bibi, 17, who lives at her bother Abid Ali’s house, said Nouman Sajid –her brother who works at a factory in Gujranwala – started forcing himself on her when no one was at home.

Over time, her other sibling Abid too started raping her, she alleged in the FIR. She said she couldn’t speak about the incident earlier because of the threats made by her brothers.

Eventually, she approached her area’s general councilor as per the FIR, who then brought her to the police station. The police have registered a case under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Section 376 reads: “Whoever commits rape shall be punished with death or imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than ten years or more, than twenty-five years and shall also be liable to fine. (2) When rape is committed by two or more persons in furtherance of common intention of all, each of such persons shall be punished with death or imprisonment for life.”

In 2016-17, at least 1,297 cases of child rape were reported in Punjab; out of these, 66 cases were reported in Kasur, 38 in Sheikhupura, 50 in Khushab.

Lahore saw 107 cases of child rape, the report prepared by Punjab’s additional chief secretary and additional inspector general had said, while pointing out that 2017 saw a higher number of reported child rape cases than 2016.