Problems with domestic violence in Pakistan

 Pakistani women are frantically searching for solutions to a troubling uptick in cases of domestic violence against the backdrop of Pakistan's chaotic political climate, which depicts the country's political leaders playing musical chairs while exhibiting a sense of misplaced bravado.

dilemma by Eman Omar on April 5, 2023 Pakistani women are desperately looking for solutions to a worrying rise in cases of domestic violence against the backdrop of Pakistan's chaotic political climate, which depicts the country's political leaders playing a game of musical chairs while displaying a sense of misplaced bravado.

The police have made it clear that addressing gender-based crimes is not their top priority by focusing on defusing riots that occur in support of politicians who routinely circumvent the law.

Women are wary of approaching the police for a number of primary reasons, one of which is the police's lack of interest in filing FIRs of domestic violence. Women who are strong enough to call the police are turned away and told to make amends with their abusers. They are informed that "beating" is an integral part of marriage and that the incident is a "personal matter."

The patriarchal society we live in is exemplified by the police's refusal to file FIRs in cases of domestic violence. This puts men in high positions to handle issues affecting women, which they ignore. According to data compiled by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2021, only 10% of Pakistani women reported instances of domestic violence to authorities. Although these figures may give the impression that domestic violence is uncommon in Pakistan, this is far from the case.

A policy brief on domestic violence was released on March 7, 2023, by the National Commission on Human Rights of Pakistan (NCHR) and UN Women. It found that 90% of Pakistani women had been abused at home at some point in their lives. Senator Sherry Rehman, Minister for Climate Change, referred to this as an "urgent matter" during the meeting and stated that this data was only the tip of the iceberg. She emphasized, "while 50% do not report it at all due to the social and cultural barriers," even though "while 90% of women claim to have faced some form of domestic violence or the other."

As many as 10,000–11,000 cases of domestic violence were reported by Aurat Foundation, SSDO, and NADRA during the Covid-19 lockdowns, according to the NCHR brief.

In addition, social and economic barriers impede women's access to justice. Women are less likely to divorce their abusers for economic reasons (UN Women, 2019). Furthermore, the shame joined to being a separated from lady in Pakistan makes ladies powerless against being shunned by society, including encountering social segregation by families and companions. They frequently have to endure verbal, emotional, and physical abuse from their families.

But not everything is bad.

Through legislation designed specifically for domestic violence, Pakistan guarantees women protection from mental, physical, and sexual abuse. The Punjab Protection of Women of Violence Act was passed in 2016 but was not announced or put into effect until 2022. Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have comparable regulation in force. In contrast to Punjab, the two provinces have significantly criminalized domestic violence.

Even though the law was passed six years ago in Sindh, only two cases have been prosecuted under it thus far. These acts also bring to light the fact that it is the responsibility of the state to raise awareness of domestic violence and how to deal with it among vulnerable groups as well as other stakeholders like the police and the judiciary. Major stakeholders, such as the police and the judiciary, have not been educated or trained to address these issues, despite the existence of the law.

Using physical force on a woman and violating her modesty are both crimes that are currently punishable under the Pakistani Penal Code's existing sections, which include Sections 352, 354, 358, and 509. However, despite the fact that the Penal Code makes violence a crime and that domestic violence acts provide women with an additional layer of protection, the laws are not always fully implemented, and domestic violence is still widespread. It is abundantly clear that making domestic violence a criminal offense is insufficient on its own. The law is completely fruitless unless it is properly implemented and accompanied by training.

Community-led initiatives are needed as a result of women's lack of protection. The "She-her Foundation" is one such organization that provides assistance to domestic violence victims. It is a public interest litigation firm with its headquarters in Lahore that provides free legal services to underprivileged women and minorities who are victims of domestic violence but are unaware of the laws in place to protect them.

In a BBC Urdu documentary titled "Domestic Violence: Why won't the police file an FIR?’ Aaminah Qadir, CEO of She-Her Foundation, discusses the various forms of domestic violence that are common in households: constrained fetus removals, physical and sexual maltreatment, and so on. In addition to their intimate partners, family members like parents and in-laws also contribute to this violence.

She argues that the state and civil society must collaborate to implement public sector reforms in order to ensure public safety. This includes training female officers to register offenses, even those between spouses, and hiring female officers to register cases of domestic violence. These measures are essential to ensuring that women receive protection from the criminal justice system and will empower victims to report injustices with greater candor.

The problem of domestic violence in Pakistan is far from over. In Islamabad, efforts were made to pass a law in 2020 to protect victims of domestic violence. The bill was met with outrageous obstruction from the Gathering of Islamic Philosophy that considered it to be un-Islamic. There were objections and claims that the religion permits a woman to be lightly beaten. The bill hence still remaining parts forthcoming.

According to the Global Gender Gap Index, Pakistan ranked 141 out of 156 countries in 2022. The focus on the six-year span it took for the abusive behavior at home regulation to be advised in Punjab is proof of the state's dreary way to deal with stretching out security to weak gatherings.

In order to safeguard and empower more women, laws must be strengthened and implemented. They will be encouraged to join and stay in the workforce as a result of this. Importantly, this will close the country's wide gender gap. Victims of domestic violence might then receive even one or two FIRs.