Gender Violence Awareness · Pakistan
Gender Violence Awareness in Pakistan: Breaking the Silence
Gender violence awareness means recognising, naming and openly confronting the abuse women face — most often inside the home, by a spouse or family member. In Pakistan this abuse is widespread, badly under-reported, and rarely punished. Awareness is the first step that turns a private, hidden harm into a problem communities, courts and lawmakers are forced to act on.
Behind closed doors in homes that should feel safe, thousands of women across Pakistan are hurt every day — their pain unreported, their abusers unpunished. This is not a private family matter. It is a public-health and human-rights crisis, and building awareness at every level is no longer optional.
The Reality
What Pakistani Women Face Every Day
The numbers are incomplete because so much abuse is never reported — but the verified figures alone are alarming. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that about 1 in 3 women experiences physical or sexual violence in her lifetime, with rates higher in many low- and middle-income countries.
rape cases registered nationwide in 2023 (HRCP) — roughly one reported every 45 minutes, per UN Women.
violence-against-women cases reported in Punjab in just the first four months of 2023 (Human Rights Watch).
women estimated killed each year in "honour"-related crimes (UNFPA/HRCP) — many cases unreported or misrecorded.
These are only the cases that surface. Many women stay silent because of shame, financial dependence, or fear of further violence.
What Is Gender-Based Domestic Violence?
Gender-based domestic violence is any act of harm — physical, emotional, psychological, sexual or financial — directed at a person because of their gender and occurring within a domestic or intimate relationship. In Pakistan it commonly takes these forms:
The 2021 murder of Noor Mukadam in Islamabad — a high-profile case that drew nationwide protests and calls for stronger enforcement of women’s protection laws — became a symbol of how even visible, well-documented violence often fails to prompt lasting change.
Physical abuse
Hitting, slapping, burning, or any use of physical force meant to intimidate or cause pain.
Economic abuse
Denying a woman money, education or the right to work, forcing her into complete dependence.
The Silence
Why Domestic Violence GoesUnreported
Understanding the silence is as important as understanding the violence. Women often do not report abuse for deeply rooted reasons:
Social stigma. Instead of the abuser being blamed, the victim is accused of "bringing dishonour" on the family for speaking out.
Economic dependence. Without financial independence, many women cannot afford to leave, even when their safety is at risk.
Distrust of the system. Survivors describe being turned away at police stations, pushed toward "reconciliation," or worn down by slow, humiliating proceedings.
Family pressure. Relatives frequently press a woman to return to her abuser to "save" the marriage.
Too few support services. State-run shelters (Dar-ul-Amans) exist nationwide, but a 2023 UN Women assessment found them under-resourced — often missing adequate legal aid, counselling and training. Access is hardest in rural areas.
The Law
Protection on Paper, Gaps in Practice
Pakistan does have laws meant to protect women, including the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act (2010), the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act (2016), the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act (2021), and domestic-violence legislation across several provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory.
The persistent problem is enforcement. Conviction rates remain very low, courts frequently push mediation over prosecution, and Women’s Protection Officers exist on paper but are often not accessible or properly resourced in smaller towns and villages.
Internationally, Pakistan acceded to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1996, which obliges the state to prevent, investigate and punish gender-based violence. The gap between that commitment and daily reality is exactly where women keep falling through. Notably, marital rape is not explicitly recognised or separately criminalised under Pakistani law — a gap rights advocates, including SSW, continue to challenge.
Our Platform
How SSW Supports Survivors
Understanding the silence is as important as understanding the violence. Women often do not report abuse for deeply rooted reasons:
Social stigma. Instead of the abuser being blamed, the victim is accused of "bringing dishonour" on the family for speaking out.
Economic dependence. Without financial independence, many women cannot afford to leave, even when their safety is at risk.
Distrust of the system. Survivors describe being turned away at police stations, pushed toward "reconciliation," or worn down by slow, humiliating proceedings.
Family pressure. Relatives frequently press a woman to return to her abuser to "save" the marriage.
Too few support services. State-run shelters (Dar-ul-Amans) exist nationwide, but a 2023 UN Women assessment found them under-resourced — often missing adequate legal aid, counselling and training. Access is hardest in rural areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gender-Based Domestic Violence in Pakistan
The Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act 2016 defines domestic violence as any physical, emotional, sexual or economic abuse inflicted by a family member. Similar laws apply in other provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory.
Survivors can call the Punjab Women’s Helpline (1043) or the Madadgaar National Helpline (1098), seek refuge at a government Dar-ul-Aman or Women’s Crisis Centre, or reach out to platforms and groups such as SSW, Aurat Foundation or the Rozan counselling helpline for guidance and referrals.
Yes. Women can report violence directly to the police, though in practice many also approach family courts and Women’s Protection Officers, who can pursue protection orders and other remedies.
Marital rape is not explicitly recognised or separately criminalised under current Pakistani law — a gap that many women’s rights advocates, including SSW, are actively campaigning to close.
Share accurate information about women’s rights, believe and support survivors instead of blaming them, save the verified helpline numbers, urge your local representatives to enforce existing protection laws, and use platforms like SSW to find reliable guidance.