Islamabad, May 10 (IANS) Human rights abuses have increased in Pakistan, particularly for the most vulnerable groups. Women experience the most severe consequences of Pakistan’s structural inequalities in the form of a femicide crisis. Gender-based violence, including acid attacks, forced and child marriage, rape, trafficking, forced conversion, and domestic abuse remain widespread in Pakistan, a report has stated. Hundreds of women are killed each year in so-called “honour killings”, often by r…
Latest Gender-based Violence News & Updates
Islamabad, April 24 (IANS) A leading minority rights organisation on Friday highlighted a disturbing pattern of violence against women, citing 6,543 cases of gender-based violence reported last year.According to the Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), the violence against women recorded in 2025 rose sharply from 5,253 in 2024—a 25 per cent increase in just one year.“This is not just a trend; it is a warning. It signals that despite laws, policies, and public discourse, women across the countr…
Islamabad, April 1 (IANS) In yet another shocking crime details emerging from Pakistan, four men allegedly gang raped a woman in a van that moved around the Baga Sheikhan area which comes under the jurisdiction of Rawat police in Pakistan’s Punjab province, local media reported. A police spokesperson said special teams have been set up to arrest the accused and raids were being conducted. He further mentioned that victim’s medical examination has been conducted, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn rep…
London, March 18 (IANS) Pakistan’s systemic denial of justice for survivors of gender-based violence goes beyond procedural failure, exposing deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes and administrative failures embedded in the country’s governance structures. When victims are ignored, dissuaded, and denied fair hearings, justice becomes an empty promise — one that perpetuates violence and marginalisation, a report has detailed.“Patriarchy in Pakistan is not merely a social attitude but a …
United Nations, Feb 12 (IANS) As Bangladesh goes to the polls, the world organisation has expressed concern over the reports of violence against and harassment of women candidates and voters, especially those emanating digitally, and called for a “zero-tolerance approach”. A statement from the resident coordinator’s office in Dhaka on Wednesday (local time) said, “The United Nations underscores that safe, inclusive and meaningful participation in public life is a fundamental right.” “Women in pu…
New Delhi, Feb 11 (IANS) In the lead-up to the elections in Bangladesh, discussions have emerged regarding violence, human rights abuses, and the oppression of minority groups. However, women in the nation are also voicing their concerns about their rights in the aftermath of the results being declared. It is the Jamaat-e-Islami, which the women are worried about, and many say that if this party comes to power, they can say goodbye to their freedom.The same women who were at the forefront of the…
Dhaka, Jan 30 (IANS) Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has said that any woman cannot be chief of the radical party owing to religious obligations and “biological limitations”. When asked during an Al Jazeera interview whether a woman could ever lead the party, Shafiqur Rehman responded, “It’s not possible. It’s not possible because Allah made everyone in its own entity. Because you [a man] will never be able to bear a child.”He further mentioned that men will not be able to b…
Islamabad, Jan 28 (IANS) Pakistan parliament’s approval of the 2026 Domestic Violence Act is yet another attempt to address an undeniable and deeply entrenched social ill, local media reported on Wednesday. The bill broadens the definition of domestic violence, including not only physical and sexual abuse, but also psychological and verbal conduct, including, the threats of divorce or second marriage on “baseless” accusations of insanity or infertility. People accused of domestic violence can fa…
Islamabad, Jan 24 (IANS) The recent gang rape of a minor girl by policemen in custody in Jacobabad district of Pakistan’s Sindh province reflects a grave procedural failure that warrants serious institutional accountability. The subsequent arrest of six policemen is being touted as evidence that the system works, but accountability limited to junior officers is not true justice, a report highlighted on Saturday. “Female detainees — including minors — were allegedly kept in a private loca…
Quetta, Jan 13 (IANS) A leading human rights organisation on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the sharp rise in gender-based human rights violations across Balochistan in 2025, asserting that the enforced disappearances of Baloch women by Pakistani forces reflect a broader, systematic pattern of repression and collective punishment. In its thematic report titled ‘Enforced Disappearances of Baloch Women in 2025: Collective Punishment and Gendered Human Rights Violations in Balochistan’, the…