Sexual violence: Fewer cases being registered, finds report

War Against Rape’s data reveals under-reporting of cases

KARACHI: A disparity has been discovered in the number of medico-legal examinations (MLE) and the FIRs registered in reported incidents of sexual violence as only 122 cases were registered despite 516 MLEs performed at the city’s three public hospitals from January 2015 to June 2016.

This was revealed in a report released by War Against Rape (WAR) which compiled data from various sources, including police stations and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, Civil hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.



During 2005-2014, 1,128 cases of sexual violence were reported as per the data collected from the police stations, whereas the office of assistant inspector general crime branch, Karachi mentioned 572 sexual assault cases.



According to WAR programme officer Sheeraz Ahmed, the significant difference of 51% is indicative that reliable data is missing, which according to the WAR report indicates that the number of actual reported sexual violence cases is much higher than the figures provided. Demographically, 17% of the cases were recorded in Korangi and Orangi each, 10% in Sohrab Goth and seven per cent in Gulistan-e-Johar, Saddar and Soldier Bazaar each. Out of the total cases reported from January 2015 to June 2016, 48% are of gang-rape, 22% of sodomy followed by 11% of incest.

Not making it easy

The report further states that the statistics on rape extracted from police records are ‘notoriously’ unreliable because of significant under-reporting. According to the report, the major impediment behind the under-reporting is the “biased, judgmental and discouraging” attitudes of police and medico-legal officers.

Furthermore, lengthy legal proceedings and insensitive court environments and procedural inadequacies further push a significant 15-20% of cases towards out-of-court settlements.



It is thus no surprise that the total number of reported sexual violence came down to 939 in 2015 from 1,582 in 2014.

Majority kids, girls

Moreover, WAR reveals that 88% of sexual violence cases among children have female victims whereas 40% of the survivors are between 12-18 years.

According to Ahmed, in 2015, 3,768 children were sexually assaulted across Pakistan as compared to 3,508 in 2013.

The statistics reveal an increase of seven per cent in the registration of child sexual abuse cases with 10 children sexually exploited a day in 2015.

Out of the total cases, 1,974 (52%) were girls compared to 1,794 (48%) boys, whereas 97 children were murdered after being sexually assaulted, across the country.

The study reveals that that the most vulnerable age group among boys and girls was 11-15.

Way forward

Ahmed told The Express Tribune that in order to improve legal and procedural deterrents to ensure speedy justice in sexual violence cases, it is important to ensure the immediate passage and implementation of anti-rape laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Bill, 2014.



He added that child friendly courts and spaces must be established to ensure safety and protection of survivors.

He also emphasised on the mandatory recruitment, training, and empowerment of women as prosecutors, judges, police officers and medico-legal officers to eliminate gender biases.

According to Ahmed, human and sexual rights’ education must also become part of our curriculum to spread gender equality and the narrow definition of sexual violence needs to be broadened.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2016.