KARACHI - A seminar on violence against women and children expresses that it has become a norm in our society to devalue human life. Those who are gravely oppressed are surely the ones who suffer the most. Madadgaar Helpline, Pakistans first helpline for women and children, organised a seminar to share 10 years thought-provoking data on violence against women and children on Tuesday evening. Zia Ahmad Awan, founder LHRLA, said, Domestic violence is a horrible crime, which is being committed at a larger scale in an unjust society of ours. We still have a feudal mindset that helps propagate ideas of dominance over others and in making others feel helpless towards us. Sharing the data, he said; Violence against women is predominant in Pakistan. Despite the growing recognition of violence against women as a public and human right concern as it poses obstacle in development, domestic violence continues to over shadow our lives. Awan said that there were horrifying incidents of atrocities that men commit in this part of the world. As reported 75,039 cases of violence against women have been reported in the last 9 years while 13,972 women have been murdered. About 17,107 women have been subjected to torture and 452 women were raped and then murdered. Large attributes of violence are as such: lack of access to education and opportunity and low social status in communities are linked to violence against women. Violence by a close relative is one of the most common form of violence against women. Honour killing is still widespread in Pakistani society as per the data record. Andro Shilkatze, chief field officer, UNICEF, said: We should stop devaluing human life. Each and every human life has a value attached to it. Societal norms of behaviour are crude policies and by laws, we need to be a responsible citizens and do all that is required to end domestic violence from our society. One must make a conscious effort in ending it, otherwise we will be responsible for breeding minds that grow on terrorising grounds.