Islamabad - The Family Protection and Rehabilitation Centre for Women (FPRCW) Islamabad has facilitated 386 women this year including victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and other heinous crimes.

The cases include 204 cases of domestic violence, 27 cases of sexual assault, 45 cases of life threats, two cases of honour killing, two cases of women kidnapping/trafficking, 21 cases of forced marriages and child marriages and 85 miscellaneous cases.

Talking to APP, FPRCW in charge Saira Furqan said that the centre provided shelter to 653 women and their children during the said period including 372 victims of violence and 281 children.  She informed that the centre also gave individual counselling sessions to 21,705 women and also conducted group therapy sessions with 1210 women.It also provided legal aid to 112 women besides medical aid to 2797 victims of violence.

  Through FPRCW 115 women were re-conciliated with their families, Saira Furqan informed adding, that vocational training was also imparted to 1070 women.  She further said through the centre, 179 women got informal education. 

The centre, she said, working under the Ministry of Human Rights as a subordinate office, has been rendering services to women of deprived segments of society hailing from Islamabad Capital Territory for the last 12 years.

She further informed that the main objectives of the centre included providing free medical/first aid to victims of violence, free legal assistance/aid, and to liaise with agencies competent to redress grievances of women at individual and collective levels, especially those concerned with combating violence against women (VAW).Sharing her observation on the data FPRCW Incharge stated that during this calendar year most cases were reported from Potohar plateau and Kashmir region.

Majority of cases belonged to low socioeconomic groups, especially illiterate families where child marriages were a norm.  She further added that the mothers in such households were house-wives or working as maids, they had no time for religious and social capacity building of their children. “There were big gaps among parents and children”, she said.