Women’s trafficking blots Punjab

LAHORE:

Abduction and trafficking of women remained a serious issue in the provincial capital during 2023, with over 9,500 cases of kidnapping reported during the year in Punjab.

As many as 31,253 persons were accused of the offences and 14,786 of them were arrested. However, only two per cent of them were convicted during the year, official data showed.

Sheikhpura DPO Zahid Nawaz Marwat stated last week that the police had busted a gang involved in trafficking over 100 girls after abduction from various parts of Lahore, especially Data Darbar and huts at the banks of River Ravi.

He had appeared before Lahore High Court Justice Farooq Haider to submit a report in a case of a girl who had been missing for seven months. Punjab Police officers appeared with the girl after rescuing her and submitted a compliance report.

Marwat shared that the prime suspect of the case had made a phone call for ransom of Rs2.5 million to the mother of the girl. The police traced the call.

During the investigations spanning a month, the police conducted raids in Multan, Mirpur and Ghotki before finally rescuing the victim from a riverine area in Jacobabad.

The official said the police had arrested eight suspected members of the gang.

Initial investigations suggested that the suspects resided in the huts near the River Ravi and targeted homeless children from around Data Darbar and informal settlements.

They also lured girls through social media and allegedly sold them in the kacha area.

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The figures showed that the impunity surrounding the crimes had persisted during the past years also as only three per cent of the suspects had been convicted in 2022 and 2% in 2021.

A large number of women also became victims of other heinous crimes.

During the ongoing year, at least 4,241 rape cases have been reported in which 5,733 persons were accused and 3,619 of them arrested. Only six of them have been convicted. Six people had been convicted of rape during the previous year and five in 2021.

As many as 164 cases of honour killing have been reported in the province in 2023, in which 349 people were accused and 235 arrested, but none of them has so far been convicted. The conviction rate in 2022 was 14% and in 2021 17%.

At least 55 incidents of acid attack were during the past year, in which 123 suspects were nominated. Only 66 of them were arrested and none was convicted. A similar trend had been witnessed earlier with one person convicted in the previous year and none in 2021.

The province recorded 582 cases of domestic violence during the past year and 917 suspects were arrested. 

On the other hand, Punjab Police set up protection centres in all the districts to effectively communicate with vulnerable members of the society, especially women who fell victim to violence. The centres were set up in collaboration with NGOs. Women and transgender police officers have been appointed as victim support officers at the centres.

Training was also conducted to sensitise police officers about dealing with women victims of violence and prioritising their cases.

The proportion of female police officers serving on key posts was also increased.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2023.