A recent report by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) has exposed a disturbing surge in violence against women across Punjab in 2024 —and an alarming failure of the justice system to deliver accountability regarding gender-based violence (GBV).
Lahore led the province with 532 reported rape cases last year, followed by Faisalabad (340) and Kasur (271). Yet convictions were vanishingly rare: just two in Lahore and six in Kasur, with no convictions in any other district.
When adjusted for population, Kasur (25.5 per 100,000) and Pakpattan (25 per 100,000) emerged as the most dangerous for women.
Honor killings also spiked in 2024: Faisalabad recorded 31 cases, Rajanpur and Sargodha 15 eachand not a single perpetrator was convicted. Per capita rates were highest in Rajanpur (2.9) and Khushab (2.5), underscoring the deadly grip of harmful cultural norms in rural areas.
Kidnappings were the most frequently reported crime. Lahore alone logged 4,510 cases, yet secured only five convictions.
Faisalabad (1,610), Kasur (1,230), Sheikhupura (1,111), and Multan (970) followed, all with zero convictions. Per capita, Lahore topped the list at 128.2 per 100,000, followed by Kasur (115.8) and Sheikhupura (103.6).
Domestic violence cases reached 561 in Gujranwalathe highest in the provincefollowed by Sahiwal (68) and Lahore (56), again with no convictions. Gujranwala's per capita rate of 34.8 far exceeded that of Chiniot (11), revealing the growing scope of domestic abuse in both urban and rural settings. Compiled from Right to Information (RTI) requests, the SSDO report analyzes district level data on rape, honor killings, kidnappings, and domestic violence.
SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas praised improved police reporting.
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