Gender-based violence in Pakistan is on the rise, but the conviction rate is disappointing.

Shakila.jalil01@gmail.com

Today, International Women’s Day is being celebrated all over the world, including Pakistan. This day reminds us women that we too, as human beings, have the right to equality with other human beings. This day is celebrated with the determination that we can live our lives in the world without any discrimination. If we look at it from the perspective of Islam, 14 hundred years ago our religion gave us all the rights, and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) also told us about these rights. From the perspective of Islam, there are such comprehensive and clear orders for the protection of women’s rights that no other religion has. However, despite this, the protection of the rights of all individuals, including women, in social life is one of the basic responsibilities of the state, which, if not implemented, gives rise to many problems. This is why the protection of women’s rights has become a major social issue not only in Pakistan but all over the world. Women all over the world are running various movements for their rights and equality. Women face different types of problems in every country and society and they are continuing to struggle to overcome them. The problem that women face all over the world is the treatment they receive, which includes domestic violence and harassment at work and in public places. Be it a developed society or a developing country, such problems can be heard everywhere. If we talk about Pakistan, there has been a very positive change in society regarding women. Not only is there talk about women’s rights, but many laws have also been made in this regard and some are under discussion in the assembly houses. But the question is, are these enough? No! This is just the beginning and a long struggle is still needed. As far as governments are concerned, almost all governments have made a lot of rhetoric to provide rights and justice to women. Politics has been done in the name of women in every government. In the past, initiatives like Women’s Police Station, First Women Bank, Women’s Crisis Center, Women’s Development Projects to the Income Support Program are certainly commendable, but are the laws that are made and the measures taken implemented? Can women living in every corner of Pakistan benefit from them? This is a big question that is now the need of the hour to answer.
Even today, in our society, obedience is a woman’s duty and raising her voice for her rights is considered rebellion and a crime, the punishment for which can be anything from breaking hands and feet and disfiguring her face to death. This is the thinking behind the common occurrences in different parts of the country, such as marrying a girl from the perpetrator’s family into the family of the perpetrator to save him from murder, going to the victim’s house naked and barefoot to apologize to the perpetrator, marrying young girls to older men to end enmity and making them into slaves, and treating the women of the accused’s family shamefully to avenge the rape, are common and not considered wrong.
All forms of oppression are crimes against humanity. They have no moral, religious, or legal justification. Our society is a male-dominated society where men consider women their property and it is their duty to oppress them in every way. This is why, as awareness of women’s rights has increased, violent acts against them have also increased.
According to a report by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), 32,617 cases of gender-based violence were reported across the country in 2024. These include 5,339 cases of sexual assault, 24,439 cases of kidnapping, 2,238 cases of domestic violence and 547 cases of honor killing. Despite these figures, the conviction rate is very low across all provinces. The conviction rate in cases of sexual assault and honor killing across the country is only 0.5%, while in cases of kidnapping, the rate is limited to just 0.1%. The conviction rate in cases of domestic violence is relatively high at 1.3%, but this also shows the lack of justice.
Punjab recorded the highest number of gender-based violence cases with 26,753. There were 225 honour killings reported in the province, but only 2 people were convicted. There were 4,641 rape cases, with a conviction rate of just 0.4%. There were 20,720 kidnapping cases reported, but only 16 cases were convicted. Only 3 perpetrators were convicted in 1,167 cases of domestic violence.
3,397 cases of gender-based violence were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. There were 134 cases of honor killings in the province, but only 2 were convicted. 258 rape cases were reported, but only 1 perpetrator was convicted. 943 kidnapping cases were reported, of which only 1 case was convicted. 446 cases of domestic violence were reported, but no perpetrator was convicted.
1,781 cases of gender-based violence were reported in Sindh. 134 cases of honor killings occurred in the province but no perpetrator was punished. 243 rape cases were reported but no conviction was made. 2,645 kidnapping cases were reported but in all cases the accused escaped punishment. 375 cases of domestic violence were reported but no perpetrator was punished.
398 cases of gender-based violence were reported in Balochistan. There were 32 cases of honor killings in the province, but only 1 perpetrator was convicted. 21 cases of sexual assault were reported, but no one was convicted. 185 cases of kidnapping were reported, of which no one was convicted. 160 cases of domestic violence were reported, of which 25 perpetrators were convicted, the highest conviction rate in any province in domestic violence cases.
220 cases of gender-based violence were reported in the federal capital, Islamabad. 22 cases of honor killings were reported, but none of the accused were convicted. 176 rape cases were reported, in which only 7 perpetrators were convicted, but none of the accused were convicted. 22 cases of domestic violence were reported, in which none of the cases were convicted. The SSDO report highlighted the increasing cases of gender-based violence and the low conviction rate against perpetrators, and stressed the need for urgent reforms in the law enforcement agencies and the judicial system.
It is worth noting here that to eliminate all forms of violence against women, it is not enough to simply enact laws. It is also necessary to ensure that these laws are free from all kinds of flaws. It is necessary to improve the existing laws, which have room for any kind of amendment, and to ensure their regular implementation. There are many laws that are more in favor of men who abuse women than of helping them.