KARACHI: In the past nine years, violence against women has seen an increase with more and more Pakistani women being victimised, revealed Lawyers for Human Rights & Legal Aid (LHRHA) President Advocate Zia Awan.
Addressing a press conference at the LHRHA run Madadgar Helpline Trust office, Awan said that data compiled since 2000 showed a sharp increase in the incidents of crime against women in Pakistan with 8,445 reported cases of female victimisation in 2008. According to Madadgar data, 67,706 women abuse cases have been registered between the years 2000 and 2008.
Karachi turned out to be a major hub of anti-women activities with 13,613 cases being registered that included murder, rape, torture, kidnap, karo kari, Hudood, trafficking, Vani Sawara as well as forced marriages between the years 2000 and 2008.
Talking about the arrest of the rapist gang from Clifton, Awan said, “So far thirty six victims have come forward to us against this gang of rapists who were busted by the police recently,” while imploring other victims to come forward.
He said that the number of reported cases is hardly
10 percent of the actual incidents that take place while inviting academics to come forward and investigate whether the numbers had increased because of incidents or whether the media was able to report more due to the freedom and exposure.
Awan asked the United Nations to take notice of the increase in the instances of violence against women saying that though Pakistan is a signatory of CEDAW, a lot has been left in terms of protecting women and safeguarding their rights.
“A major surgery needs to performed in all institutions, be it the judiciary, police and the administration so that the life and right of people especially women in the society can be protected,” said LHRHA president Awan.
Talking about ways to curb crimes against women, Awan said that each province should have a complaint cell to assist victims, as the process of registering an FIR is a cumbersome process. He also said that women police officers should be given the task to deal with cases pertaining to women as well as suggesting the appointment of women ombudsmen.
He also said that the database at Madadgar maintained not only the list of victims but also the abusers and perpetrators of heinous crimes so that they could be identified. Addressing a press conference, Madadgar Helpline Head Tahmeena Naseem Shah said “There is a marked increase in women abuse and the numbers in NWFP and Balochistan are way higher than the numbers in Sindh and Punjab but due to the fear of reporting these incidents, the figures remain low.” Tahmeena also added that Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad and Sialkot proved to be violent cities for women, making Punjab the worst in terms of protecting the rights of women with Sindh following behind closely.
Addressing a press conference at the LHRHA run Madadgar Helpline Trust office, Awan said that data compiled since 2000 showed a sharp increase in the incidents of crime against women in Pakistan with 8,445 reported cases of female victimisation in 2008. According to Madadgar data, 67,706 women abuse cases have been registered between the years 2000 and 2008.
Karachi turned out to be a major hub of anti-women activities with 13,613 cases being registered that included murder, rape, torture, kidnap, karo kari, Hudood, trafficking, Vani Sawara as well as forced marriages between the years 2000 and 2008.
Talking about the arrest of the rapist gang from Clifton, Awan said, “So far thirty six victims have come forward to us against this gang of rapists who were busted by the police recently,” while imploring other victims to come forward.
He said that the number of reported cases is hardly
10 percent of the actual incidents that take place while inviting academics to come forward and investigate whether the numbers had increased because of incidents or whether the media was able to report more due to the freedom and exposure.
Awan asked the United Nations to take notice of the increase in the instances of violence against women saying that though Pakistan is a signatory of CEDAW, a lot has been left in terms of protecting women and safeguarding their rights.
“A major surgery needs to performed in all institutions, be it the judiciary, police and the administration so that the life and right of people especially women in the society can be protected,” said LHRHA president Awan.
Talking about ways to curb crimes against women, Awan said that each province should have a complaint cell to assist victims, as the process of registering an FIR is a cumbersome process. He also said that women police officers should be given the task to deal with cases pertaining to women as well as suggesting the appointment of women ombudsmen.
He also said that the database at Madadgar maintained not only the list of victims but also the abusers and perpetrators of heinous crimes so that they could be identified. Addressing a press conference, Madadgar Helpline Head Tahmeena Naseem Shah said “There is a marked increase in women abuse and the numbers in NWFP and Balochistan are way higher than the numbers in Sindh and Punjab but due to the fear of reporting these incidents, the figures remain low.” Tahmeena also added that Lahore, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Multan, Faisalabad and Sialkot proved to be violent cities for women, making Punjab the worst in terms of protecting the rights of women with Sindh following behind closely.
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