131 women kidnapped across Pakistan in May

INTERNATIONAL DESK: According to research conducted by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) and the Centre for Research, Development, and Communication (CRDC), the kidnapping of women, rape, and violence against women were the most reported cases in the mainstream media during the month of May 2022.

The kidnapping of women was the most heavily reported in the media, with a total of 131 cases with 96 of these cases reported only from the province of Punjab. Sindh reported 23 cases, followed by 11 from KP and 1 from Islamabad while no cases of kidnapping were reported from Balochistan.

Rape was the second most reported in the media, where a total of 57 such cases. The province of Punjab again reported the highest number of cases of rape: 38, followed by Sindh with 13 cases, 3 from KP, 2 from Islamabad, and only 1 from Balochistan.

Similarly, violence against women saw significant reporting in the media with a total of 49 cases. The highest (38) were reported in Punjab, 9 in Sindh, and 2 in KPK, whereas no cases were reported in Balochistan and Islamabad.

15 cases of domestic violence were reported in the province of Punjab which is highest among all provinces whereas 6 cases were reported in Sindh, while KP, and Islamabad reported 1 case respectively, and no cases from Balochistan of domestic violence. This led to a combined 23 cases. A total of 22 women were killed in the name of honour with Punjab (14), KP (5), and Sindh (3), whereas no case was reported from Balochistan and Islamabad.

The lowest prevalence in media reporting was of workplace harassment, where only 2 cases were reported in the country, both from Punjab. Amongst all indicators of violence against children, the highest prevalence was of child abuse, where a total of 43 cases were reported across the country, with Punjab leading with 22 cases, followed by 11 in KP and 7 in Sindh.

The lowest frequencies were reported in Islamabad (3). Interestingly, for the other two indicators, child labour, and child marriage, zero cases were reported all over Pakistan. However, this simply means that zero cases of child labour and marriage were reported in the media. This does not mean that no such cases took place.

Syed Kausar Abbas, Executive Director, SSDO stated, “The aim of regularly publishing this data is to bring attention to the rapid increase in violence against women and children. Just this month, over 300 different cases of this nature occurred. We hope that with increased media attention and reporting, the government, police, and judiciary dedicate their attention to speedy processing, resolution, and punishment.”

SSDO and CRDC conducted daily tracking of several mainstream newspapers against nine indicators of violence against women and children. The selection criteria of the newspapers was based on being the most famous, accessible, and most-read newspapers in Pakistan. This data is published every month on SSDO’s official website, while both organisations also publish a consolidated report annually. (The News)