Pakistan, Nov. 8 -- A gender-based violence court in Haripur has convicted a man of raping a nine-year-old girl and awarded prison terms totalling 32 years, alongside fines of Rs 300,000. Judge Shah Faisal sentenced him to 25 years for rape and another seven under KP's Child Protection and Welfare Act, with both sentences to run concurrently. For once, a case involving the sexual assault of a particularly vulnerable child has ended in a conviction rather than disappearing into the tortuous maze of adjournments and inconclusive proceedings.

The details are heartbreaking, to say the least. In July 2020, the girl, who had an intellectual disability, was found bleeding and crying outside her home in Khalabat Township. CCTV footage helped nei...