Sameeullah
GENDER based violence (GBV) remains one of the most entrenched and devastating realities in Pakistan, cutting across geography, class and culture to shape the lives of millions of women and girls. Each year, the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, running this year from November 25 to December 10, serves as a reminder that women’s rights and human rights are inseparable. While this year’s theme focused on “end digital violence against all women and girls,” it was a subset of how gender based violence persists in Pakistan, even as digital violence becomes increasingly widespread.
In Pakistan, this year’s campaign opened with the launch of a report on digital violence and a compendium of derogatory terms used against women in Urdu and Punjabi by the ‘UKs’ Research Centre, underscoring how deeply misogyny is woven into both language and lived experience. Yet despite decades of advocacy, legal reforms and international commitments, the scale of violence continues to grow.
The numbers alone reveal the magnitude of the crisis. In 2024, more than 32,000 Gender based violence cases were officially reported nationwide, while conviction rates in many categories hovered around a shocking 1.2%. Domestic abuse, rape, honour killings, abductions and rising digital harassment continue to erode women’s safety, health and participation in society. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) recorded over 60,000 cases of violence against women and children in Punjab alone in 2024, but only 924 suspects were convicted.
A separate NGO report documented 4,558 GBV cases nationwide that same year, including 1,273 murders, 533 rapes and 799 abductions. These figures expose not only the prevalence of violence but also the impunity that shields perpetrators. Honour killings remain one of the most brutal manifestations of this impunity. Human Rights Watch estimates that around a thousand women are murdered each year in the name of honour.
Between 2021 and 2024, more than 7,500 women were killed in Pakistan, including 1,553 victims of honour crimes. Child marriage adds another layer of systemic harm, with an estimated 18.9 million women in Pakistan married before the age of 18. In Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, cases of kidnapping, domestic abuse and sexual violence continue to rise, while justice remains elusive for most survivors. Low conviction rates, weak law enforcement and the influence of informal justice systems all contribute to a climate where violence is normalized and accountability is rare.
A closer look at provincial data from 2024 reveals troubling patterns. Punjab records the highest number of GBV cases, reflecting both its population size and comparatively higher reporting visibility. But when Punjab’s scale is removed, the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) emerges as an unexpected hotspot. Relative to its small population, ICT shows disproportionately high rates of kidnapping, rape and honour killings. This partly supports the argument that higher literacy and media presence improve reporting, yet the severity of ICT’s numbers also points to deeper structural risks within the capital’s social and policing environment.
A stronger administrative presence does not compensate for patriarchal decision making, weak investigations or fragmented data systems. The absence of a centralized GBV database and the lack of gender responsive training further undermine accountability. The provincial breakdown ultimately reveals a justice system marked by uneven capacity and entrenched biases, allowing GBV to persist even in areas where protection mechanisms should, in theory, be strongest. The persistence of Gender based violence in Pakistan is not the result of isolated incidents but the product of systemic failure. Laws exist on paper, but poor implementation, societal resistance and institutional apathy prevent them from offering meaningful protection. Pakistan urgently needs an overhaul of enforcement mechanisms, judicial procedures and broader public education to challenge the cultural norms that enable violence. Civil society continues to raise these concerns. The Women’s Action Forum (WAF), reflecting on the status of Pakistani women, recalled the promises enshrined in the 1973 Constitution; gender equality, affirmative action, democracy, justice and fundamental human rights. More than five decades later, these commitments remain largely unfulfilled. WAF reiterated its longstanding refusal to accept military dictatorships or discriminatory constitutional amendments imposed since the mid 1970s, emphasizing that it “never will.” The forum also questioned Pakistan’s sincerity in signing and ratifying numerous international charters and conventions from the UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights to CEDAW. Were these commitments made with genuine intent, WAF asked or merely to satisfy global pressure, secure economic benefits such as GSP+ or maintain diplomatic appearances without any real intention of implementation? Recent government disclosures further highlight the severity of the crisis. The Human Rights Minister informed the National Assembly that more than 7,500 women were killed between 2021 and 2024, including 1,553 honour killings. The Sustainable Social Development Organisation reported 32,617 GBV cases in 2024 alone: over 5,339 rapes, 24,439 abductions, 2,238 domestic violence cases and 547 honour killings. Yet conviction rates remain abysmally low, 0.5% for rape and honour killings, 0.1% for abduction and 1.3% for domestic violence. Pakistan’s GBV crisis, is therefore, not simply a matter of crime; it is a reflection of structural inequality, institutional neglect and cultural acceptance of violence. Until the state confronts these realities with sincerity and resolve, women and girls will continue to bear the brunt of a system that fails to protect them.
—The writer occasionally contributes to the national press.
