In the last few decades, rape in Pakistan has become a serious problem. It's such a huge problem that the United States is doing nothing to help it. The main reason the United States doesn't help is that many people don't know how serious this problem is. It is difficult to obtain statistics on abuse and rape from Pakistan. Since their government is heavily based on religion, they don't always consider it a crime. Pakistanis tend to be very religious, so they follow the government and don't see rape the way we do (Ashfaq). Many rapes in Pakistan go unpunished, thanks to a set of religiously based rules put in place in 1979 called the Hudood Ordinances. These laws make it legal to restrict and severely punish women for petty crimes or even sins. A particularly restrictive law legalizes severe punishments for women against Zina (adultery and fornication), Zina-Bil-Jabr (rape) and Qazf (rape accusation). This means that if a minor or married woman reports rape, she could be stoned or whipped to death, imprisoned, forced to pay a fine, or all of these together (Ashfaq). According to section eight of the ordinances, if you want to prove rape, you must have “…at least four adult male Muslim witnesses, of whom the court is satisfied…and who are sincere persons and abstain from serious sins, give evidence as eyewitnesses of the act of penetration necessary for the crime..." (Flanders). This law alone makes it extremely difficult for someone to prove their rape, and yet there are eight others. Thousands of rapes occur every day in Pakistan. The most recent statistics show that between 1997 and 1988 the percentage of women arrested for Zina increased by 3000% (Ashfaq). Hundreds of women each year spend time in prison for the same reason... middle of paper... bringing them to a real court. “Arranging a meeting with the SSP or the DM is practically impossible” (Hassan). If by any chance a woman gets to court she will need a very good lawyer, as most rape cases are simply dismissed. He probably won't even be able to defend himself. The female literacy rate in Pakistan can be as low as 2% (Allen). Women are simply not respected in court and are usually not counted as rape witnesses because they are seen less in court than men (Ashfaq). Overall, rape in Pakistan is at an all-time high and women are paying the price. . In 2006, however, a law called the Women's Protection Act was passed. The bill makes it slightly easier for women to prove rape, as it allows women to be eyewitnesses among other positive laws. The mere possibility of rape becoming less of a problem is enough to give hope to women and everyone involved.