Horrific increase in incidents of violence and abduction against women and children in Punjab

Lahore: According to the research of Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), more than 12 thousand cases of violence against women and children have been registered in Punjab during four months.

According to the details received by Express News, there has been an alarming increase in the FIRs of cases of violence against women and children in Punjab, from January 1 to April 30, 2023, a total of 10,365 cases of violence against women were reported to the police, while in the same period 1768 cases of violence against children were also reported.

According to the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), the actual number of unreported cases may be even higher, as many fear social stigma and lack of trust in law enforcement. Such cases are not reported to the police.

Looking at specific types of crime, during these four months, an astonishing 5551 women were abducted in Punjab, which means that an average of 2 women were abducted every hour.

There were 1,427 cases of abduction of women in Lahore, which means that one out of every four women was abducted from the provincial capital. This was followed by the highest number of physical assaults (2818), with Lahore once again leading the way with 504 incidents.

After that Sheikhupura with 262 cases and Faisalabad with 225 cases stood second and third. Apart from this, 1111 cases of rape and 613 cases of human trafficking were also reported during January to April.

139 cases of rape and 210 cases of human trafficking were reported in Lahore. After that, more than 117 cases of rape were reported in Faisalabad.

From January to April, 219 cases of domestic violence against women were reported, with Gujranwala being the worst affected district with 64 cases. After that, 38 cases of domestic violence against women were reported in Lahore.

53 cases of honor killings were also reported in the province during this period. The highest number of 8 cases of honor killings were reported in Rahim Yar Khan district.

Sexual violence was the most common form of violence against children, with a total of 858 cases reported. This would mean that about 7 children were sexually abused every day.

Maximum 82 cases of sexual violence against children were reported in Faisalabad followed by 74 cases in Lahore. During the four-month period, 613 children were abducted, an average of 5 children per day.

210 cases of child abduction were reported in Lahore alone. Along with abduction, 221 children were also victims of human trafficking, of which almost one in five cases were from Chiniot (44). Apart from this, 48 ​​children were killed, 24 cases of child labor and 4 cases of child marriage were also reported.

Executive Director SSDO Syed Kausar Abbas said that we believe that the Punjab Police is doing a remarkable job in registering cases of violence against women and children and that is why there has been an increase in the number of reports.

According to Syed Kausar Abbas, it is also commendable that a comprehensive database of such cases is being maintained. The purpose of publishing these data is to draw public attention to the high prevalence of violence against women and children.

More than 12,000 cases were reported during the first four months of this year alone. It paints a very alarming picture of women’s protection in Pakistan’s largest province.

We hope this data can provide a reference for policy makers and other stakeholders to direct their efforts towards a targeted approach to prevent this problem,” Syed Kausar Abbas said.