KARACHI - In a significant step towards addressing gender-based violence, the Sindh government has unveiled a comprehensive roadmap to implement the Domestic Violence Act, 2013 revealing stark statistics that underscore the urgent need for systemic change.
According to a statement, at the launch event at local hotel on Monday, the Additional Inspector General Khadim Rind highlighted the critical state of women’s safety in Pakistan, noting that the world data about GBV is alarming. About 97 percent of women in the world have experienced violence in any form. In Pakistan, he said about 6 percent of adult women in Pakistan are subject to rape, whereas about 34 percent married women subjected to domestic violence. The situation in rural Sindh is even grave, he said, adding that implementation of the law is lacking in the province.
The roadmap, developed with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), aims to strengthen implementation of the Domestic Violence Act passed in 2013. The launching ceremony was jointly organised by the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Pathfinder International. The roadmap underscores the importance of collaboration among government bodies, civil society, and international partners to combat gender-based violence (GBV). Key initiatives include establishing one-stop protection centres, with the first model centre to be operational in Hyderabad soon. Iqbal Detho, Chairman of the Sindh Human Rights Commission, emphasised the need for better coordination among the provincial government departments involved in addressing domestic violence. The commission has adopted a Human Rights Policy in 2023 and is prioritising implementation of the roadmap, he added.
Detho said that Sindh government is establishing three centres of excellence in Human Rights education at three women universities in the province. These centres aim to enhance the scope and quality of human rights education, empowering women to take leadership roles in this critical field. Detho also disclosed that substantial changes are underway in the medico-legal law to modernising and improving the legal framework governing medical and legal matters.
Barrister Rida Tahir, the author of the roadmap document shared a disturbing statistic, revealing that an average of 10 women are killed due to domestic violence. Between 2013 and 2023, approximately 320 cases reached the courts, while 5,513 cases were reported in Women and Children Complaint Centres in 2020.
According to in Sindh province specifically, 350 cases of domestic violence were reported in 2022; this went down to 348 in 2023. As per the available data, a woman is abused approximately every day in 2023, she revealed.
Sharing data, she said 83 women reported being abused verbally and 58 percent reported psychological abuse (such as being humiliated in public, insulted, and shamed).
UNFPA’s representative Muqadar Shah highlighted that Sindh was the first province to raise the marriage age and underlined the need to establish a centralised data hub on child marriage. Challenges remain significant. Only 2.5 percent of Pakistan’s police force is female, and societal intolerance continues to impede progress. The roadmap seeks to address these issues by training judges, establishing human rights centres in women’s universities, and improving medico-legal procedures. Local government has also initiated steps to combat child marriage, including a proposal to include CNIC numbers in marriage certificates.
As Madiha Latif from Pathfinder International gave remarks on the critical role of civil society in bridging stakeholders to work towards combating GBV. She noted, bridging stakeholders and civil society’s critical role will be crucial in combating gender-based violence.
A large number of civil society, women rights activists, government officers, police personnel and legal fraternity attended the launching ceremony. The roadmap highlights actionable strategies for preventing domestic violence and protecting vulnerable individuals, reflecting global commitments such as the “16 Days of Activism”. The theme for 2024 is: “Unite to End Violence Against Women”.