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Domestic violence in Pakistan is a major issue. According to a study carried out by Human Rights Watch it is estimated that between 70 and 90 percent of women in Pakistan have suffered some form of abuse. The majority of victims of violence have no legal recourse. The police do not view domestic violence as a crime and usually refuse to register any cases brought to them. There are also very few Women's shelter's which gives victims nowhere to escape to from the violence.

Types of abuse

Lisa Hajjar, an Associate Professor at the University of California, describes abuse against women in Pakistan as "endemic in all social spheres". In a observational study published in the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences using a non-randomized "convenience" sample of 218 women in the gynecology wards of three hospitals, 97% of the interviewed women said they had been victims of some form of assault, ranging from "being yelled at" and threats to beatings, or non-consensual sex.

Bride burning, also known as stove deaths are widely reported in Pakistan. In 1988 a survey showed that 800 women were killed in this manner, in 1989 the number rose to 1100 and in 1990 it stood at 1800 estimated killings. Newspapers in Lahore in a six month period (1997) reported on average 15 attacks a month. According to an estimate by Human Development in South Asia, on average there are 16 cases of bride burnings a month. Women's eNews reported 4,000 women attacked in this manner in Islamabad's surroundings over an eight year period and that the average age range of victims is between 18 and 35 with an estimated 30 percent being pregnant at the time death. Shahnaz Bukhari has said of such attacks

Either Pakistan is home to possessed stoves which burn only young housewives, and are particularly fond of genitalia, or looking at the frequency with which these incidences occur there is a grim pattern that these women are victims of deliberate murder

According to the Progressive Women's Association such attacks are a growing problem and in 1994 on International Women's Day announced that various NGO's would join to raise awareness of the issue.

Acid attacks in Pakistan came to international attention after a documentary by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy called Saving Face was released. According to Shahnaz Bukhari who runs the Progressive Women's Association in Islamabad the majority of these attacks occur in the summer as acid is used extensively as certain seeds are first soaked in acid. Various reasons have been given for such attacks such as dressing inappropriately or rejecting a proposal of marriage. The first known instance of an acid attack occurred in East Pakistan in 1967. According to the Acid Survivors Foundation, up to 150 attacks occur every year. They say the attacks are often the result in an escalation of domestic abuse and that the majority of victims are female.

Dowry deaths have been described by the United Nations as a form of domestic-violence. Women are often attacked and murdered should their in-laws deem the dowry is not sufficant.

Factors

There are various factors associated with domestic violence in Pakistan. A lack of awareness about women’s rights and a lack of support from the government have been cited as two reasons. Another factor given for the rise in domestic violence has been due to increased Urbanization. As people move from villages the opportunity for family members to intervene and prevent abuses have been reduced. Women choosing to no longer care for an extended family has also been cited as one of the reasons for these assaults. Another reason given for abuses is the Patriarchal nature which marginalizes women’s role in an Islamic society. In some traditional society’s it is seen as the man’s right to physically beat his spouse. Women have reported attacks ranging from physical to psychological and sexual abuse from partners, in-laws and family members. In 1998 of 1974 reported murders the majority of victims were killed by either family members or In laws. A survey carried out by the Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked Pakistan as the third most dangerous country in the world for women, after Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo and followed by India and Somalia.

Political response

In 1976 the Pakistani government passed legislation on dowry and bridal gifts in an attempt to eliminate the custom, but due to cultural and societal norms combined with government ineffectiveness such killings continue. In 1999 the Senate of Pakistan rejected a resolution which would have condemned the practice of murdering women for the sake of family honour. In 2011 the senate passed the Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Bill to repress acid attacks in the country, the senate also passed the prevention of anti-women practices bill. In 2009 a Domestic Violence Protection bill was proposed by Yasmeen Rehman of the Pakistan People’s Party. It was passed in the National Assembly but subsequently failed to be passed in the second chamber of parliament, the Senate, within the prescribed period of time. It was re-tabled in 2012, but met with a deadlock in parliament due to stiff opposition from the religious right. Representatives of Islamic organizations vowed resistance to the proposed bill, describing it as "anti-Islamic" and an attempt to promote "Western cultural values" in Pakistan. However the bill was passed for Islamabad Capital Territory.

References

1. Cited in: Gosselin, Denise Kindschi (2009). Heavy Hands: An Introduction to the Crime of Intimate and Family Violence (4th ed.). Prentice Hall. p. 13. ISBN 978-0136139034.
2. Hansar, Robert D. (2007). Nicky Ali Jackson (ed.). Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence (1st ed.). Routledge. p. 211. ISBN 978-0415969680.
3. 800x600 Normal 0 21 false false false SV X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Hajjar, Lisa (2004). "Domestic Violence and Shari'a: A Comparative Study of Muslim Societies in the Middle East, Africa and Asia". In Lynn Welchman (ed.). Women's Rights and Islamic Family Law: Perspectives on Reform. Zed Books. p. 265. ISBN 978-1842770955.

   Some of this article's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed. (September 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

4. Shaikh, Masood Ali (2003). "Is domestic violence endemic in Pakistan: perspective from Pakistani Wives" (PDF). Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences. 19 (1): 23–28. Cited in: Hanser, Robert D. (2007). "Cross-cultural examination of domestic violence in China and Pakistan". In Nicky Ali Jackson (ed.). Encyclopedia of Domestic Violence (1st ed.). Routledge. p. 211. ISBN 978-0415969680.
5. ^ Ajmal...
6. ^ Terzieff, Juliette (October 27, 2002). "Pakistan's Fiery Shame: Women Die in Stove Deaths". Women's eNews.
7. Jilani, Hina (2004). Savitri Goonesekere (ed.). Violence, Law and Women's Rights in South Asia. Sage. p. 161. ISBN 978-0761997962. Retrieved 3 August 2012. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |Chapter= ignored (|chapter= suggested) (help)
8. Rappaport, Helen (2001). Encyclopedia of Women Social Reformers, Volume 1. ABC-CLIO. p. 115. ISBN 978-1576071014.
9. ^ Rodriguez, Alex (May 29, 2012). "Pakistan offers little justice for victims of acid attacks". Los Angeles Times.
10. Ali, Sahar (July 28, 2003). "Acid attack victim demands justice". BBC.
11. Weightman, Barbara A. (2012). Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East, and Southeast Asia (3rd ed.). Wiley. p. 77. ISBN 978-0470876282.
12. ^ Van Wormer, Katherine (2010). Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Macro Level: Groups, Communities (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-0199740574. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
13. Pickup, Francine (2000). Ending Violence Against Women: A Challenge for Development and Humanitarian Work. Oxfam. p. 91. ISBN 978-0855984380. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
14. Weiss, Anita M. (1998). Selig S. Harrison, Paul H. Kreisberg, Dennis Kux (ed.). India and Pakistan: The First Fifty Years. Cambridge University Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0521645850.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
15. ^ Zaman, Habiba (2004). Suad Joseph, Afsaneh Najmabad (ed.). Family, Law and Politics: Encyclopedia of Women and Islamic Cultures: 2. Brill. p. 124. ISBN 978-9004128187.
16. Ajmal, Umer Bin (25 April, 2012). "Domestic violence". Dawn. Retrieved 28 July 2012. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
17. Anderson, Lisa (15 June 2011). "Trustlaw Poll: Afghanistan is most dangerous country for women". Thomson Reuters Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
18. Ajmal, Umer Bin (25 August, 1999). "World:South Asia Bride burning 'kills hundreds'". Dawn. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
19. Human Rights and Democracy: The 2011 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Report. TSO. 2012. p. 292. ISBN 978-0101833929.
20. Ghauri, Irfan (August 5, 2009). "NA passes law against domestic violence". Daily Times.
21. Zahid Gishkori (6 April 2012). "Opposition forces government to defer women domestic violence bill". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
22. Gishkori, Zahid (April 17, 2012). "Citing 'controversial' clauses: Clerics vow to resist passage of Domestic Violence Bill". The Express Tribune.
23. Br/bill/Private Bills/viol-12.pdf "Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2012" (PDF). Senate of Pakistan. 20 February 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

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• Domestic violence by country
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