Gender-based violence: NCSW to launch standardised indicators

ISLAMABAD: Data on violence against women remains patchy and inconsistent across different agencies and organisations within the country. To counter this problem and collate accurate figures, the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) is launching standardised indicators on violence against women on Friday (today). While elaborating on the subject, NCSW chairwoman Khawar Mumtaz said: “Essentially meant to be used by government statistical agencies, as well as research-related organisations, these indicators are crucial in the long run, as they will aid in generating reliable data on violence against women in Pakistan.”

Recent data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2012/13 on the prevalence of physical and emotional violence experienced by married women aged 15-49 indicates that spousal violence is high in Pakistan.

Almost 40% of all married women have experienced spousal abuse at some point in their lives, whether physical, emotional or both, and one-third reported having experienced some form of violence by their husbands over the previous 12 months.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th,  2015.