They tortured her and shaved her head for refusing to dance for her husband and friends.

The Pakistani Asma Aziz, with her shaved head, has multiple bruises and claims that her husband tortured her for refusing to dance for him and his friends.

Her husband, Mian Faisal, denied it, but he and a domestic worker are in custody.

The case has raised concerns in Pakistan and has prompted some groups to urge the authorities to act.

On Twitter, the NGO Amnesty International has deemed it necessary "a systemic change".

"We note with concern the alarming increase in the number of cases of violence against women, a systemic change is needed to protect women and measures can not be taken on a case-by-case basis," he said. the group.

The action of the police, in question

In the video posted on March 26, Aziz, visibly moved, said that two days ago she had been tortured after refusing to dance in front of her husband's friends at home.

"He took off my clothes in front of the employees, they held me while I was shaving and was burning my hair, my clothes had blood, they tied me to a pipe and they m '. have hung on a fan, "he said.

The woman stated that she had gone to the police to file a complaint, but that the authorities had postponed the proceedings – an end that the agents deny – an explanation after visiting a police team. who had gone to his home, but this one was closed and the employees of the building prevented them from entering the facilities.

The police only acted when the video caught the attention of Deputy Interior Minister Sheheryar Afridi, who ordered the agents to register the complaint.

Faisal and one of his employees, Rashid Ali, were arrested the next day.

A preliminary medical report concluded that Aziz had many bruises and swelling in the arms, cheeks and around the left eye.

Aziz's lawyers have asked that the case be examined under the anti-terrorism law, which is stricter than the usual criminal procedure.

In documents presented to the police, the lawyers argued that the case was causing "great concern and unrest in the society".

Faisal told the police last week that his wife had started cutting her hair under the influence of drugs and that he, who was taking drugs, had only helped him finish his job. job.

The case sparked a wave of comments on social networks, where many expressed outrage at the levels of gender-based violence in Pakistan.

The actress and Pakistani singer Sanam Saeed was one of the people who raised their voices to defend Aziz.

Complaints and threats

Violence against women and girls in Pakistan, a conservative society, remains a serious problem and has been the subject of debate for years.

The UN Gender Equality Index in 2016 ranked Pakistan ranked 147th out of a list of 188 countries, on the basis of its low level of health, education, of political empowerment and the economic situation of women in the country.

Activist groups ensure that official data does not show the true dimension of the problem, as many cases are not reported.

The marches organized last month for Women's Day have provoked complaints from some conservative groups in the country. Some of the organizers said they were threatened with death or raped on social media.

BBC.