CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN

AND POLICE RESPONSE

Summary
Violence against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between
men and women" and that "violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms
by which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men and Police are
at the frontline to not only help victims for justice but also prevent such crimes to happen
in the first place.

Farrukh Tahseen(Br#165)
farrukhtahseen@gmail.com
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CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN & RESPONSE OF POLICE

Abstract/Outline:
Crimes against women is a global issue of immense importance which is widely condemned
yet practiced. No society can claim outright that women are not deprived of their basic rights
or their fundamental freedom is not violated. 1At least one in every three women around the
world has been beaten, forced to have sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime (with the
abuser usually known to her)
Women do not form a homogenous group and nature of violence against women differs from
country-country or region-region, depending on the religious and sociocultural contexts and
transcend any boundaries. This means that women around the globe experience similar acts
of violence differently and that some groups of women are more vulnerable to violence than
others, e.g. in Pakistan.
The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993)2 defines violence
against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in,
physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts,
coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”
It is easier to legislate or change already existing laws than to change the practices and beliefs.
In many countries, like Pakistan, public silence and passivity of the justice system have
ensured that most of the incidents of crimes against women go underreported and in some
areas, even unreported. These attitudes need to be changed.
Police departments work with both the victims and the offenders and carry the responsibility
of judging witnesses and retrieving evidences. Sexual assault victims are entirely dependent
on the police for information about and access to the medico legal system. Most victims are
unaware of the urgency, critical importance, or even existence of medico legal exams, much
less how to go about getting one. A victim cannot usually obtain a medico legal exam on her
own initiative. The medico legal examination must, in practice, be done at a government
facility for which an official police referral, police escort, and a magistrate's order are
required. Their attitude and response towards everyone involved has a significant impact not
only on the proceedings of a crime reported but also on the prevention of future violent acts
and the protection of victims.
Police have been criticized heavily for not taking enough measures to protect women from
violence and also for having an indifferent attitude to the problem. Their practices need to be
enhanced by which police can provide counselling and legal assistance, ensure access to
shelters/safe-homes, improved collection and presentation of evidence and effectively

1
The report of the Secretary-General entitled “In-depth study on all forms
of violence against women”
2
The General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
(A/RES/48/104, of 19 December 1993).
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protecting the victims and witnesses. Unfortunately, the issue of violence against women is
still treated in Pakistan largely in terms of the losses and suffering caused to the victims and
their families whereas the loss to the community should be given equal, if not more,
importance. By all this, police can help in bettering the lives of all women.
In Pakistan, legislation has been done to protect the rights of women but no check has been
placed on the judicial system which includes the courts as well as the police. The apathetic
attitude of the Pakistani police takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families and
on society as a whole. Violence against women continues unabated and is too often either
covered up or is condoned, one recent example of such behavior was seen in Muzaffargarh
rape case3.

Legislation sends out a clear message to the people that anyone found not abiding by the law
would be punished but the implementation rests with the larger judicial system and not just
the police. 4But as the Police are at the frontline of the criminal justice system, if they do their
practical work well according to the international standards and norms, at least the
foundation will be strong enough to withstand the jolts provided by the flaws in other
elements of criminal justice system.

3
The Supreme Court said that the suicide of the Muzaffargarh rape victim was a result of police negligence and
carelessness, Express News reported on March 17, 2014.
4
This section will provide guidance and good practice examples on how police can better
Respond to acts of violence against women, including domestic violence according to different international
and national resources when research paper will be completed.