Domestic violence is endemic in Pakistan. The New York-based Human Rights Watch, in one of the most detailed reports on domestic violence in the country published in 1999, found that up to 90 percent of women in Pakistan were subject to verbal, sexual, emotional or physical abuse, within their own homes. Asma Jahangir, a leading lawyer and rights activist, said: “Domestic violence is very widespread. It is tied in to the lack of empowerment of women in our society.” Women’s rights activists have long argued that the issue is linked to the “second class” status of women in society. This is a reality reinforced by laws that discriminate against them in terms of the right to inherit property, the amount of blood money given as compensation for physical hurt, and by the failure to eradicate traditions such as ‘vani’, under which a woman is handed over in marriage to an aggrieved party to settle a dispute, usually after a murder. (PAKISTAN: Domestic violence endemic, but awareness slowly rising)
The relevant statistics are truly alarming. According to the statistics of violence against women contained in a report to parliament by the ministry of law, justice and human rights, there were 860 ‘honor’ killings (mostly women), 481 incidents of domestic violence, 90 cases of acid burning, 344 cases of rape/gang rape and 268 incidents of sexual assault/harassment. That is just the official toll. Less than half of abuse is reported. (Dr. Fawad Kaiser, Unfinished domestic violence in Pakistan)
According to Thomas Reuters Foundation around 90% of the women of Pakistan face domestic abuse while thousands of women get killed in the name of honor each year but in the survey conducted by Aware Girls to find out the attitude of people towards violence against women in Pakistan, 20.65% of the survey participants responded that violence against women is not an important issue for Pakistan. It reflects the general patriarchal notion of the society which sideline women, the same attitude is reflected in programming, decision making and peace building process where women are sidelined. As mentioned, 90% of the women face domestic abuse but most of the perpetrators enjoy impunity, 35.87% of the respondents said it’s OK for husband to beat their wives, 10.87% said it is right of men to beat his wife while 25% responded that men can occasionally beat their wives. (Attitudes towards Violence against Women in Pakistan)
Though 64.13% of the participants were of the view that men don’t have the right to beat their wives but in the next question in which we asked in which circumstances men can beat their wives only 14.13% said men can’t beat their wives in any situation while all other respondents presented one or other excuse for beating the wife. (Attitudes towards Violence against Women in Pakistan)
In a survey, 32.61% responded that women should get legal help only when the case is very severe as taking the matter to court will tarnish family’s honor, 7.61% responded that women should not take legal help in case of domestic abuse. (Attitudes towards Violence against Women in Pakistan)
In response to what should be done with a girl who run away with home to get married with someone 31.52% responded that the matter should be dismissed silently, 28.26% responded that she should be congratulated and supported, while 7.61% responded that she should be killed. (Attitudes towards Violence against Women in Pakistan)
Quietly, slowly, in piecemeal legal reforms, female empowerment is coming in Pakistan. You meet inspiring women daily here. Sympathetic employers sometimes give protection and assistance, as do other women who’ve fared better. NGOs and charitable organizations try to help empower women, but not all women take advantage of these resources. They fear their husbands, attracting unwanted attention, somehow hurting the honor of their families, or, often, they simply do not know that help exists. With female literacy at 36%, many women are too uneducated to know their rights. A difficult irony for women in Pakistan is that, should a victim speak up about physical or sexual abuse, she is seen as having lost her and her family’s dignity. Many rapes go unreported as the victim fears she will become worthless in Pakistani society. Often, women will turn to their employers; families they can trust. It’s a typically unnoticed form of charity but one that can be crucial to their survival. (Zara Jamal, To Be a Woman in Pakistan: Six Stories of Abuse, Shame, and Survival)
Over the past decade, however, awareness of the issue has risen. Since 2006 the Pakistan Ministry of Women’s Development has been running at least 10 crisis centers in major cities, where victims of domestic abuse or other violence receive legal, financial and psychological support, and counseling regarding their options. Domestic violence has also been discussed in both Pakistan’s provincial and national assemblies. A draft Protection Against Domestic Violence of Women and Children Act was drawn up by the Federal Law Ministry early in 2007, but has not yet been passed. These efforts also appear to have had some positive impact on police efforts to curb domestic violence. In a high profile case in January 2007, Karachi police arrested a national sporting hero, Moin Khan, a former captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, after his wife complained of being beaten by him. (PAKISTAN: Domestic violence endemic, but awareness slowly rising)
Works Cited
http://www.irinnews.org/report/77226/pakistan-domestic-violence-endemic-but-awareness-slowly-rising
http://www.awaregirls.org/attitudes-towards-violence-against-women-in-pakistan/
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/opinion/09-Mar-2015/unfinished-domestic-violence-in-pakistan
The women of Pakistan 
It is so disappointing to read that so many people in Pakistan think that it is okay for a man to beat their wife depending on the circumstance. More attention needs to be brought to not only women’s rights in Pakistan but just the way they are treated in general. The fact that people make up excuses for beating their wives is alarming. I was also concerned at the fact that women could be traded as a wife to settle a dispute between people. I think that in order for life to get better for Pakistan women, they need to lessen the fear they feel from their husbands. I think a large contributing factor to this is that honor killings are a norm there.
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This was really an awesome (however disturbing) blog with tons of data to back up claims. Issues are much more ‘in your face’ when you see staggering figures like 90% of women in Pakistan face domestic abuse. What I came to discover through research on my own blog and reading yours is the already high number of reported cases of domestic abuse, honor killings, rapes etc. doesn’t account for the large number of unreported cases. As you mentioned women often refrain from bringing their cases to the courts for fear not being dealt with justly or fairly and that making your case known to the public can be dishonorable to the family. It’s an unfortunate catch 22 for many women.
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I enjoy reviewing the graphs about the view points men and women had on domestic violence. It’s obvious that women are inferior to men, but it’s not right to use physical violence as punishment. I don’t see the outcome of beating a female member of a family. Your blog gives me an understanding that domestic violence is a universal problem, especially in developed countries. Even if judicial courts will propose a ban on domestic violence, it will not stop men to pursue fear on women. This norm has existed for centuries and we hope that the 21st century will abolish it.
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