LAHORE: Pakistan’s most populous province has witnessed a sharp uptick in violence against women, with over 10,000 cases of violence reported and as many as 5,551 women kidnapped during the first four months of this year. According to a report by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), a research-based advocacy firm, Punjab police registered an alarmingly high number of FIRs of cases of violence against women and children. “During just the first four months of this year, over 12,000 cases were reported. This paints a very alarming picture of women’s safety in Pakistan’s largest province,” said SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas.

SSDO collected the data through filing a ‘Right to Information’ request to the Punjab Police through Article 19-A of the Constitution. “We hope this data can provide a reference point for policymakers and other stakeholders to direct their efforts towards a targeted approach to curbing this issue.”

From January 1, 2023 to April 30, 2023, a total of 10,365 cases of violence against women were reported to the police, while 1,768 cases of violence against children were reported in the same period.

SSDO believes that the actual frequency of unreported cases may be even higher, as many people are unlikely to report such cases due to social stigma and lack of faith in law enforcement. A staggeringly high number of 5,551 women were kidnapped in Punjab during these four months, which meant that on average, two women were kidnapped after every single hour.

Published in The Daily National Courier, July, 12 2023

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