VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Not until the half of our population represented by women and girls can live free
from fear, violence and everyday insecurity, can we truly say we live in a fair and
equal world." — UN Secretary-General António Guterres
1
The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women 1993 , defines it 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 private life.”

 71% of all human trafficking victims worldwide are women and girls, and 3 out of 4 of these women
and girls are sexually exploited

Global action – orange the world – UN women campaign to end violence against women

WHO

 Global estimates published by WHO indicate that about 1 in 3 (35%) of

women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual
intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime.
 Globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are committed by a male
intimate partner.

Risk factors
a history of exposure to child maltreatment (perpetration and experience);

 witnessing family violence (perpetration and experience);

 antisocial personality disorder (perpetration);
 harmful use of alcohol (perpetration and experience);
 having multiple partners or suspected by their partners of infidelity
(perpetration);

Health consequences
Lead to injuries, with 42% of women who experience intimate partner violence
reporting an injury as a consequence of this violence.

 Lead to unintended pregnancies, induced abortions,

 Sexual violence, particularly during childhood, can lead to increased smoking,
drug and alcohol misuse, and risky sexual behaviours in later life
Impact on children

 Children who grow up in families where there is violence may suffer a range
of behavioural and emotional disturbances. These can also be associated
with perpetrating or experiencing violence later in life.
 Intimate partner violence has also been associated with higher rates of infant
and child mortality and morbidity (through, for example diarrhoeal disease or
malnutrition).

Social and economic costs

The social and economic costs of intimate partner and sexual violence are enormous
and have ripple effects throughout society. Women may suffer isolation, inability to
work, loss of wages, lack of participation in regular activities and limited ability to
care for themselves and their children.

Prevention and response

ending discrimination against women in marriage, divorce and custody laws

 ending discrimination in inheritance laws and ownership of assets

 improving women’s access to paid employment
 developing and resourcing national plans and policies to address violence
against women.

WHO response
At the World Health Assembly in May 2016, Member States endorsed a global plan
of action on strengthening the role of the health systems in addressing interpersonal
violence, in particular against women and girls and against children.

 Global plan of action to strengthen the role of the health system within a
national multisectoral response to address interpersonal violence, in particular
against women and girls, and against children

PAKISTAN

 The Constitution of Pakistan, Article 25 (2), clearly states that no person

should be discriminated against on the basis of his/her sex alone. The
Government of Pakistan recognizes that violence against women is a form of
sex discrimination and that this is against the basic fundamentals of the
Constitution.

keeping its international obligations in the forefront that the State of Pakistan
endorses a zero tolerance policy on violence against women and girls. This policy
collaborates with and expands the points raised in the National Policy for
Development and Empowerment of Women 2002

Pakistan is also a patriarchal society in which women are forced

to follow needless social, cultural, and religious norms
set by their male counterparts, thus gravely hindering development of
leadership skills and participation in the law and policymaking process
(World Health Organization, 2017)

National Commission on the Status of Women Bill 2012

The Commission will gather information, investigate, monitor and advise on issues regarding
women's rights violations, as well as have increased responsibilities to oversee the
international commitments by the government on all women's issues.

CAUSES

Poverty has been linked to increased violence against women including sexual violence and trafficking
(UN Women 2014)

Economic deprivation is coupled with social injustice which collectively contributes towards frustration
and violence.

In poor households, with greater contest over limited resources, education of girls is usually foregone for
the education of the boys of the household. It was viewed that illiterate women are not aware of their
rights and thus are more victimized for violence and abuse

the quality of education and the discrimination taught in curriculum was factored as one of the major
causes of violence against women

lady doctors and female teachers were often subjected to mental and sexual abuse, especially during night
duties. When they complained, they were transferred to far-flung villages of the districts. At least eight
respondents highlighted that though the Work Harassment Bill exists and cases are reported,
implementation of the law is the real issue. Women often withdraw the cases due to social pressures.
Otherwise, the cases remain pending in courts for years, resulting in little outcomes.

workforce harassment is a serious concern and despite having legislative protection, the reality of such
incidences is still stark.