ISLAMABAD: There is no dearth of laws in Pakistan to respond to crimes against women but the implementation on these laws is real challenge that needs to be addressed at every level.
The speakers from diverse backgrounds said this while speaking at webinar ‘Femicide in Pakistan and the hashtag justice’ organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Monday.
Ms Khawar Mumtaz, former Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), while chairing the session said that according to the UN statistics, about 50,000 crimes against women take place by intimate partners every year, and Asia tops the list in this regard.
She highlighted that we have numerous overlapping laws, such as Anti Rape Law of 2016, but now an ordinance which has been passed by the parliament is quite conflicting with 2016 laws. Therefore, it is not about law but the implementation of the law that needs to be focused.
Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, I.G. Motorway & Highway Police, while sharing his dismay over the situation of crimes against women in Pakistan and said that it is unfortunate that we ranked 153 at global gender index. He said this fact shows that uplifting and upholding the rights of the women is still a far cry in Pakistan.
He added further that the law enforcing agencies in the country have taken several steps to improve the situation. However, he added that we need to address several factors to stop femicide and violence against women. He said that women and children protection centers, desks at police stations, community policing etc. are some of the steps towards the right direction but to improve the conviction rate, we need good forensic facilities and trained human resource to deal with such cases.
Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, was of view that it is binding for the nations across the globe to adhered to SDG- 5 which is about gender equity and equality.
“We need to challenge the taboo, stigma and unwanted activism on social media which terms femicide or violence against women a domestic issue,” Dr Suleri said and added further that victim blaming also needs to be stopped as things become more problematic when the justice system gets affected by the societal justifications of femicide and violence against women.
Ms Zoya Rehman, Feminist Researcher and Special Projects Manager at Media Matters, also shared her views with the participants on the topic and said that for a real democracy, we need to stop belittling women, their concerns, experiences and the real threats of violence that they experience on a daily level in Pakistan.
