‘I can’t just sit there’: the doctor on a mission to win justice for rape survivors in Pakistan

‘Under one roof’: Dr Summaiya Syed speaks at the launch of the anti-rape crisis cell in Karachi this month. Photograph: Courtesy of @zalmayzia/Twitter

For Dr Summaiya Syed, a set of rooms dedicated solely to her patients was the fulfilment of a long-held ambition. Lack of help for women and stigma around sexual violence – as well as an agonisingly slow legal process – mean that the opening this month of Pakistan’s first “anti-rape crisis cell” in Karachi is a moment far bigger than the space itself. It’s “groundbreaking”, says Syed.

“It took 24 years to fulfil my dream to serve the victims of sexual violence. But I am happy that the initiative will speed up the investigations of rape cases and encourage more victims to seek justice.”