GBV and low conviction rate

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Pakistan continues to endure a surge in cases of sexual abuse, particularly against women and children. While a lot of factors are responsible for this alarming rise in gender-based violence (GBV) in the country, it is the abominably low conviction rate that has emboldened perpetrators and deterred victims from coming forward and reporting their ordeal. However, recent convictions by the lower courts in Karachi and Rawalpindi indicate an encouraging shift.

Within the past week, two men were convicted of child molestation charges in separate cases. Raja Muhammad Shoaib was convicted of raping his niece and was sentenced to life imprisonment along with a Rs500,000 fine, while Muneer Ahmed was convicted of raping a minor boy and was sentenced to 10 years in prison along with a Rs100,000 fine. These verdicts have come in a social climate where, according to recent surveys by various NGOs, a woman and a child is raped every two hours – while the rate of conviction for sexual crimes stands at a shocking 0.2%.

In 2019, the federal government established over 1,000 special courts to deal with violence against women. Only last year, a court also delivered a landmark ruling in a marital rape case and sentenced a man to three years in prison. While the legal system set an important precedent, the landmark case also highlighted a critical question – why now and what now? Legal reparations for crimes against women and minors have long been overdue, and a systemic imbalance of power still exists between these criminals and their victims. Conviction rates are heavily impacted by cultural notions of 'shame' and 'purity', with families often pressuring victims to remain silent in order to protect their honour. The recent convictions, while commendable, must become part of a broader systematic change – one that enables a culture of speaking up about sexual violence, and holds its perpetrators accountable through criminal trials.