The shocking news of the gang-rape of a homeless minor of flood-hit Shikarpur, living on a footpath near the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine in Karachi’s Clifton area, must divert the attention of civil society as well as government authorities’ towards the plight of women, especially girl children, in the country once again.

A report published in a newspaper on October 24 said the child had been kidnapped and gang-raped by a group of men, according to police and hospital officials. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said the 10-year-old girl had gone “missing” in the morning and was brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre by her mother in a serious condition in the evening the same day. The examination by a female medico-legal officer at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) revealed violent rape and physical injuries.

It is not a rare incident. A sharp increase in incidents of violence against women has been witnessed, particularly sexual assault, across the country during the last three years. Over 63,367 cases of gender-based crimes were reported in this period of time; 3,987 women were killed and more than 10,500 fell victim to sexual violence.

According to official data, 25,389 incidents against women were reported in the year 2019 alone, while in 2020, 23,789 cases of abuse and other crimes, including rape, came to the fore. Similarly, in 2021, 14,189 cases were registered.

From 2019 to 2021, over 3,987 women were murdered across the country, while 10,517 cases of rape were registered. During the period, 643 cases of gang-rape of women took place and 5,171 cases of torture against women were registered. Besides, 1,025 women were killed in the name of “honour,” while 103 cases of acid attacks took place.

The data said that 38 cases of burns due to the “explosion of stoves” were recorded and 41,513 women were abducted. In 2019, 1,578 women were killed, 4,377 raped, 391 killed in the name of “honour”, 13,916 kidnapped and 260 were subjected to gang-rape. Similarly, in 2020, 1,569 women were killed and 3,887 subjected to sexual assault. Around 397 women were killed in the name of “honour”, 246 were gang-raped and 12,809 kidnapped.

The data further revealed that during the last year, 840 women were killed, 2,253 were raped, 257 women fell prey to notorious “honour killing” and 137 gang-rapes were reported.

Similarly, 7,651 women were abducted, while 1,134 incidents of torture against women were reported. The Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its report, released in January 2022, that violence against women and girls—including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, and forced marriage—is endemic throughout the country. Those concerned believe that roughly 1,000 women are killed in so-called honour killings every year.

Child marriage remains a serious problem in the country, with 18 per cent of girls marrying before age 18, and 4 per cent marrying before 15. Women from religious minority communities remain particularly vulnerable to forced marriages. The government has done little to stop the marriages.

It must set alarm bells ringing for the authorities concerned that Pakistan ranked 153 out of 156 nations on the Global Gender Gap 2021 index, issued by the World Economic Forum. The gender-based violence crisis in Pakistan is depriving millions of women of legal protection and leaving them fearful for their rights and livelihood. According to the Women, Peace and Security Index, Pakistan is ranked 167th out of 170 countries in terms of women’s health and wellbeing.

Women in Pakistan suffer an alarmingly high rate of domestic violence. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) estimates that 28pc of women in Pakistan face some kind of physical violence in their lives before the age of 50. Because of the constant threat of violence, many women have to work as domestic workers and often receive little to no wages. In 2018, the United Nations reported that only 48.6pc of Pakistani women had their reproductive health care needs satisfied by the resources available to them.

Pakistan ranks as the sixth most dangerous country for women for domestic violence. In 2021, USAID assisted the Pakistani government in providing counselling services to about 61,000 female survivors of domestic violence, improving the system of maternal health care and training public defenders on how to protect women’s rights in Pakistan under law. In December 2020, Pakistan enacted a new anti-rape law to speed up convictions and toughen sentences. According to White Ribbon Pakistan, an estimated 4,734 women faced sexual violence between 2004 and 2016. Furthermore, there were over 15,000 cases of registered honour crimes and more than 1,800 cases of domestic violence. However, conviction rates remain low. Only 2.5pc of all cases result in convictions. The new law requires sex offenders to be nationally registered. Additionally, courts will protect the identity of victims.

The good news is that Pakistani women are fighting back. Since 2018, women have demanded economic and environmental justice, reproductive rights and better access to public spaces. Women have begun riding bikes in order to accentuate their presence in public spaces. Girls at Dhabas organised a bike ride to promote certification in all public events and fight against restrictions that prohibit women.

The writer is a physician by profession. She has worked as an intern at the Capital Health (New Jersey) & the Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital (New York). Rights and gender issues are the areas of special interest to her. She can be reached at: [email protected]