The reprehensible incident of harassment of a woman at a lawyers chambers in Sialkot is a grim reminder of the treatment of women in the country. It is shocking to know that the victim had gone to a lawyers chamber in search of justice but, allegedly, the lawyer finding her alone took advantage of her. This is a sad reflection of the state of apathy towards the rule of law and the brazenness and disregard of basic decency by a member of the community which is supposed to uphold the laws of justice. An FIR has been registered by the police but only when the victim threatened to commit suicide. Although this incident has been reported by the press, there are scores of other gender-related crimes that go unreported, where the victims are unable to obtain justice against culprits who use their wealth and power to abuse the criminal justice system. The government's success in passing the women harassment bill two years ago, is overshadowed by the failure of its implementation in letter and in spirit. The need for stricter laws is also being felt on account of the current rise in incidents of the harassment of women.