305 women fell prey to violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A total of 305 women were subjected to violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa during the second half of last year due to flawed laws.

This is stated in a report on the situation of violence against women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from July to December 2011.

Addressing the report launching ceremony at Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, Dr Salahuddin of Aurat Foundation said of these victims of violence against women, 195 were married and 18 unmarried, while information about 51 was unavailable.

He said 162 of these cases pertained to murder, 19 kidnapping, 23 domestic violence, 42 suicide, 16 honour killing, four rape/gang rape and 39 miscellaneous nature.

Dr Salahuddin said 236 FIRs had been registered about violence against women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while 18 cases remained unregistered and that details about 51 were unavailable.

He said 47 women subjected to violence in the province were aged below 18 years, 22 below 19 to 36 years and four 37 years and above age. He further said 87 cases were reported in rural areas and 218 in urban areas.

The Aurat Foundation representatives said 85 cases of violence against women were reported in Peshawar district, 38 Mardan, 32 Nowshera, 20 Charsadda, 21 Swat, 14 DI Khan, nine Bannu and Kohat, seven Chitral, Lakki Marwat, Swabi, Malakand and Haripur, six Karak, five Hangu, four Upper Dir, Buner and Mansehra, three Battagram, Lower Dir and Bajaur, two Kohistan, Tank, Khyber Agency and one each in Torghar, Shangla, Abbottabad and South Waziristan Agency.

He said the family, property, suspicion of illicit relationship, refusal of marriage proposal, forced marriage, old enmity and petty issues were major causes of growing violence against women. He further said mostly violence was committed against woman by her husband, father, son, brother-in-law, father-in-law, nephew, cousin, uncle and mother-in-law.

Dr Salahuddin said pistols, axe, knife, poisonous medicine, kerosene oil, strangulation, suffocation, beating, stick and beating were used against women.

Other Aurat Foundation representatives Shabeena Ayaz and Sherin Javaid, who were also in attendance, called for amendments to existing laws on women’s rights and said flaws in women’s right laws was the major hindrance to their enforcement.

Ms Shabeena said there existed weaknesses in laws for women’s rights and that by and large, police and other law-enforcement agencies were unaware of such laws.

Ms Shireen said the project was launched in 2007 to collect statistics of violence against women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She further said the restive South Waziristan Agency reported only one such case between July and December last year.

Dr Salahuddin said strict enforcement of laws for women’s rights would prevent growing violence against womenfolk in the society.