helpless women in Pakistan

Report: The life of a typical Pakistani woman is defined by her economic, cultural, social and political subordination from birth. There is a huge difference in the status of men and women in Pakistan. This includes discriminatory laws, poor policies, plans and programmes, as well as inadequate budgetary provisions. It also includes harmful social and cultural practices.

Inequalities persist due to lack of political will and lack of meaningful or effective affirmative action. There are many types of violence against women in Pakistan. Domestic abuse can take the form of physical, mental or emotional abuse and is quite common.

257 cases reported only in Sindh

Women are still the most victims of rape in Pakistan. Worse, most of the victims do not report it for fear of stigma. Only a few cases are reported or investigated. According to data received from various NGOs, 257 women have been victims of separate violence in Sindh in the last three months. These include physical assault, rape, kidnapping, domestic violence and honor killing.

According to Pakistan’s local media outlet Daily Times, out of these 257 cases, 70 women were physically assaulted, 46 were raped, 29 were abducted, 38 were victims of domestic violence across Sindh during the last three months. 29 were kidnapped, 41 were killed and four women lost their lives in the honor killings. Even though there are many laws in Pakistan, still all this is happening. In Sindh, the government has completely failed to protect and defend the rights of women.

These attacks on women are still a sign of narrow mindset towards women of Pakistani society. Even women of Pakistani origin living abroad face discrimination. According to a study by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) and the Center for Research, Development and Communication, Pakistan had the highest number of cases of rape, violence against women and abduction of women in May this year.