Annisa Essack | kzn@radioislam.org.za
7 August 2026 | 10:30 CAT
5 min read

“Yesterday it was Budgam. Today it is Baramulla. Tomorrow, which daughter?”

For Aksa Muzammil, that question is at the heart of a growing crisis facing women and girls in Kashmir.

Speaking to The Insight, the economics student and writer said repeated cases of sexual violence cannot continue to be treated as isolated tragedies followed by a few days of public outrage. Her concern is what happens when the anger fades, but the conditions that allowed the violence to happen remain.

Muzammil, who is pursuing a master’s degree in economics at the Islamic University of Science and Technology, writes on women’s safety, justice and public policy. She said the recurring cases prompted her to look beyond individual crimes and ask why similar incidents continue despite laws, public condemnation and promises of reform.

The Baramulla case has also raised disturbing questions about technology and violence. According to allegations discussed in the interview, the assault was filmed and the footage shown to others.

Muzammil says technology itself is not the problem. Its misuse is. Smartphones and social media have opened doors to education and communication, but they can also facilitate stalking, harassment, image-based abuse, blackmail and the rapid spread of harmful material.

And when intimate footage or rumours begin circulating, the trauma can continue long after the physical assault has ended.

That is where ordinary people have a role to play. Muzammil urged the public not to share unverified information, expose survivors’ identities or participate in victim-blaming. A person’s clothing, location or choices should never become the focus while the actions of an alleged perpetrator are pushed aside.

She also challenged Kashmir’s understanding of “honour”.

Too often, she argued, honour becomes tied to controlling women’s clothing, movement and choices, while men are subjected to far less scrutiny. True honour, she believes, should be measured by whether women and girls feel safe and are treated with dignity, respect and equality.

Perhaps one of her strongest arguments, however, is that prevention must begin with boys.

For generations, girls have been taught how to protect themselves. Muzammil says society must also teach boys not to become a threat. Respect, consent, boundaries, empathy and accountability need to be taught from childhood. Schools and families should also provide age-appropriate education on body safety and digital safety.

As an economics student, she sees another often-overlooked cost: fear itself.

When women feel unsafe travelling to universities, workplaces or markets, opportunities disappear. Families may prevent daughters from studying or working outside their immediate communities. Muzammil shared that she experienced this firsthand when her own family was reluctant to let her pursue opportunities outside the state due to safety concerns.

The loss is not only personal. It is economic. Every woman prevented from becoming a doctor, teacher, entrepreneur, researcher or public servant represents human potential left unused.

For Muzammil, the answer cannot be another cycle of tragedy, outrage and silence. Kashmir needs stronger enforcement, faster investigations and trials, survivor support, education and a fundamental shift in how society talks about women.

And perhaps most importantly, it needs to stop asking women to carry the burden of staying safe.

As she put it, a society should not be judged by how loudly it mourns its daughters after they are harmed but by how effectively it protects them before they become the next headline.

Listen to the full interview from The Insight with Annisa Essack.