Menacing patriarchy

In patriarchal societies like Pakistan, where notions of honour are based on how others view a woman's behaviour and appearance, gender-based violence (GBV) remains a deeply entrenched issue. The country recorded a significant increase in GBV cases nationwide with the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) expressing grave concern over the trend. According to a recent report, titled 'Un­veiling Shadows: An Overview of Gender-Based Violence Cases, 2023, unresolved GBV cases pending in specialised courts saw an 81% increase. Punjab saw its backlog nearly double to 34,350 cases. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's backlog increased by 14% to 2,547 cases. Sindh's backlog grew by 3% to 1,495 cases, while Balochistan and Islamabad reported slight increases of 2% and 1% respectively. Sexual violence remains the most pressing issue. This pattern is consistent across provinces and suggests systemic issues that need urgent reform.

The state needs to step up and strengthen the support system in place. Victim support services are sadly lacking across the country and many women who suffer do not know who to reach out to. No woman should be left to suffer in silence. Immediate action is needed. Gender sensitisation should be a core component of police training, rather than being limited to occasional workshops. There must also be a significant increase in the recruitment of women in law enforcement, with more women being promoted to senior positions. Victims of gender-based violence should have access to female police officers who are specifically trained to address these types of crimes. Authorities need to better train judicial officers and prosecutors to improve conviction rate, which is abysmally low at 5% as against an acquittal rate of 64%. Authorities need to improve case management practices, review legislation and allocate resources more effectively. Pakistani women deserve this bare minimum.