Living in oppression: In K-P, cases of violence against women increase

389 cases reported in the first six months of 2011, against 342 in the same period last year: report.

PESHAWAR:

The first six months of 2011 showed a marked increase in cases of violence against women, with 389 cases reported against 342 in the same period last year.

This was stated by Policy and Data Monitor on Violence against Women Project Regional Coordinator Shireen Javed during the launch of a bi-annual report on “Situation of Violence against Women in K-P” on Thursday. The project is being run by Aurat Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that works “for women’s issues and for good governance in Pakistan”, according to its website.

Out of the 389 reported cases, 246 were reported from rural areas, while 140 cases were reported from urban centres. The information on the remaining three cases is not known.

The report says that 149 cases have been reported from Peshawar and its adjoining areas, while 50 cases have been reported from Mardan district. Apart from that, 43 cases from Nowshera, 20 cases from Charsadda and 16 from Swat have also been reported.

The report also revealed that out of the 389 cases, 179 cases of murder were reported, while 81 cases of domestic violence, 28 cases of kidnapping, 41 cases of suicide, 14 honour killing cases and three rape cases were reported. The remaining 43 cases were of “miscellaneous nature”.

Javed said the motives behind the cases were mostly family and property disputes, suspicions of illicit relations, refusals of marriage proposals, forced marriages and old enmities.

According to the report, the police registered First Information Reports (FIR) in 259 cases; no FIRs were registered in 82 cases while no information is available on the remaining 48 cases.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Salahuddin said that the trend of violence against women is increasing at a rapid rate, and the authorities have completely ignored the issue. “Women are not only physically harassed, but they are mentally tortured as well,” he added.

He said the majority of the cases of violence were not registered due to social taboos, and urged women to raise their voices and stand against injustices against them.

According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and The Thompson Reuters Foundation, Pakistan ranks third on the list of most dangerous countries for women, with more than 1,000 women targeted in ‘honour’ killings cases every year, and 90 per cent of women facing domestic violence.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2011.