1 week ago
Pakistan's Reported Gender-Based Violence Cases Expose Gaps in Protection
Several serious cases have raised questions about how well Pakistan protects women and children.
An 18-month-old girl named Aizal died after police said she was allegedly sexually assaulted.
Five-year-old Ayat Noor disappeared in Haripur and had not been found according to the report.
Hina Javed was found dead in her Rawalpindi apartment after reportedly telling her family about abuse.
A report by the NGO Sahil counted 3,172 gender-based violence cases in the first six months of 2026.
These cases included murders, torture, abductions, suicides and rape.
Many incidents happened in victims' homes, sometimes involving people they knew.
The reports have prompted questions about whether authorities respond effectively when abuse is reported.
The deaths and alleged abuse of Aizal and Hina Javed, and the disappearance of Ayat Noor, have raised concerns about protection for women and children.
Police said medical findings in Aizal's case were consistent with sexual assault, and a teenage relative was placed in judicial custody.
Ayat Noor was reported missing from Haripur on August 10 amid reports of three children disappearing there within one week.
Sahil recorded 3,172 reported gender-based violence cases in Pakistan during the first six months of 2026.
The report found that 54 percent of incidents occurred in victims' homes, while 74 percent were reported in Punjab.
- Who
- The reported victims included Aizal, Ayat Noor and Hina Javed, while Sahil documented thousands of gender-based violence cases across Pakistan.
- What
- Several cases involving alleged sexual assault, a child's disappearance and a suspected domestic-abuse-related killing have highlighted protection concerns.
- Where
- The incidents mentioned occurred in Karachi, Haripur and Rawalpindi, while the wider report covered Pakistan's provinces and territories.
- When
- The cases were reported recently; Ayat Noor disappeared on August 10, and Sahil's figures cover the first six months of 2026.
- Why
- The cases raised questions about Pakistan's response to threats against women and girls and its obligations under domestic and international law.
Key facts
- Reported cases
- 3,172 gender-based violence cases were recorded in Pakistan during the first six months of 2026.
- Major categories
- The report listed 644 murders, 514 torture cases, 462 abductions, 363 suicides and 280 rapes.
- Victims' locations
- Fifty-four percent of incidents occurred in victims' homes, and 12 percent occurred at perpetrators' residences.
- Perpetrator relationships
- Twenty-seven percent of perpetrators were acquaintances, 24 percent were strangers and 13 percent were husbands.
- Regional distribution
- Punjab accounted for 74 percent of reported cases, Sindh for 17 percent and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for six percent.
- Police registration
- Seventy-six percent of cases were reported as lodged with police, while 23 percent had no registration status listed and one percent were unregistered.
- International obligations
- Pakistan is identified as a party to CEDAW, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the ICCPR and the Convention against Torture.
Sources
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