Violence Report: ‘Ministers should pass the law if govt is too busy’

Up to 497 incidents of violence were recorded in Sindh.

KARACHI: The incidents of violence against women in the second half of the year 2011 dropped from 819 to 397, according to a report released by the Aurat Foundation on Friday. While speaking at the Karachi Press Club, the foundation’s resident director, Mahnaz Rehman, said that the decline could be because of the lack of access to women in areas affected by the floods.

Based on the reports in print media, 497 incidents of violence were recorded in Sindh. Among the 597 victims, 572 were female and 25 were male. Honour killings were highest in ratio in the 23 districts, with 111 cases and 125 victims.

The report highlighted a higher rate of violence in rural areas with 299 incidents, as compared to 197 incidents in the urban areas. An officer of the foundation said that the people involved in these incidents are relatives and the reasons behind it are choice marriages, revenge and honour killings.

With reference to custodial violence, 44 individuals were reported tortured by the police. Almost 51 kidnappings, 95 murder cases and 108 murders were recorded in the past 6 months.

“It is a matter of concern that the Sindh Assembly, with 29 female members, has not done anything regarding a legislation for women rights and violence against them,” said Sindh Assembly member Nusrat Sehar Abbasi while speaking at the event. “After the 18th amendment, it is the responsibility of the assembly to make laws for women rights and control violence against women.”

She added that when they brought the karo kari bill forward, some members of the assembly said they did not want to waste time on such bill.

According to the MPA, around 29 women are part of the assembly yet nothing has been done against domestic violence. She said that the government may be busy, but if the ministers tried hard enough they could pass a bill for women in the assembly.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 28^th, 2012.