In K-P, women bear the brunt of violent crimes

Police records show a surge in rape and other crimes in K-P

PESHAWAR: As the world celebrates their social, economic, cultural, and political achievements, women in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa continue to bear the brunt of the surge in violent crime against them.

Domestic violence against women has increased since 2015, pushing up overall levels of gender-specific crimes in the province. On the long list of offenses against women, rape emerges as the number one offense. According to data from the police registers, 900 cases of sexual assault surfaced between 2015 and 2019. Documents show a steady increase in rape cases in the province over the past five years. However, conviction rates remain low due to a lack of evidence and a DNA testing facility.

“Some cases are closed due to weak investigation. We are also unable to investigate cases due to a lack of a DNA testing facility in the province,” said Additional IG Investigation Feroz Shah.

Agreeing with Shah, rights activist Shabina Diaz said the primary reason for acquittals is the lack of a DNA testing facility, required for the examination of biological evidence. The process, she said, takes months as K-P does not have a DNA testing facility. “Samples are sent to Punjab, which takes months for the testing before sharing the results. Women continue to suffer during this time, both physically and emotionally,” the activist added.

In a report submitted to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa IG Dr Sanaullah Abbasi, the provincial police department data shows a spike in reported rapes in the five years since 2015.

Five years ago, the department recorded 135 cases of rape. The following year in 2016, the figure went up to 163. In 2017, the province witnessed a brief decrease in the cases only to record another peak in 2018 with 216 cases. According to the report, a total of 223 rape cases surfaced in 2019.

Targeted, assaulted, and killed, K-P’s women, according to Additional IG Investigation Shah, are victims of all sorts of crimes. More than 1,100 women, he said, have been killed over the past five years. Shah lists property disputes, domestic violence, and rape as the cause behind the surge in cases across the province. More than 250 women, he said, have died in honor killings since 2015. Raising the red flag, Shah also mentioned 344 cases of domestic violence against women from across the province over the past five years. In rural parts of the country, crimes against women, mostly go unreported due to the social restrictions. In some cases of honor killing, the family ends up protecting the perpetrators.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 8^th, 2020.