Trail of abuse

Statistics have revealed that 18 women in Pakistan face violence on a daily basis. However, experts believe that a large number of crimes against women remain unreported in the country owing to cultural reasons. This year alone, at least 274 women have been killed in the name of ‘honour’ and 206 others have been gang-raped. In addition, 2,840 women have been raped and 681 have been murdered across the country. Over 5,660 crimes were reported against women in Pakistan’s four provinces during the first 10 months of the year.

A recent case involving a 16-year-old girl in Faisalabad who was gang-raped epitomises the extent to which crimes against women have become rampant. More than 3,400 women have fallen victim to heinous crimes committed against them in Punjab this year. Between January and June, 202 cases have been registered in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In Sindh, the figure stands at 1,704 while 354 crimes against women were reported in Balochistan this year. A series of laws must be introduced and implemented to guarantee security to women.

Yousuf Wahag

Turbat