Pakistan: 50% of Women Beaten by Their Husbands, 74% of Non-Muslim Women Sexually Harassed, Gender-Based Crimes Increase

Keep in mind, this study only reports those who admit to being beaten by their husbands. The actual percentage could be even higher …

Qur’an Sura 38:44,  “And take in your hand a green branch and beat her with it, and do not break your oath …”

Hadith – Abu Dawud, 2142, “The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife.”

“Fifty percent of women in Pakistan’s urban areas admit that their husbands beat them, a 2009 US State Department report on Pakistan has revealed.

In 2009, efforts were in progress to come out with a new domestic violence law in Pakistan. A private bill on domestic violence had been passed in the National Assembly in 2009, which required approval by the Pakistani Senate.

However, the Council of Islamic Ideology’s (CII) warning that a law against domestic violence will ‘push up divorce rates’ coupled with Mohammad Khan Sheerani’s objections (of the JUI-F), led to a deferment of the hearing in the Senate. Since then the government has not paid much attention to the matter and the bill has lapsed, The Express Tribune reports.

It appears that due to a fault within our social structure, even urban women not only tend to have a high tolerance for domestic violence, but also are often at the forefront of inflicting pain on other women.” Source – Daily News & Analysis.

Pakistan: Study: 74% of women from minority communities suffer sexual harassment – “Around 74 percent of Pakistani women from minority communities — Christians and Hindus — were sexually harassed, while 43 percent faced religious discrimination at workplaces in 2010 and 2011, a study said. Around 27 percent of minority women faced discrimination in admission to educational institutions and were forced to take Islamic studies for absence of any alternative subject, said National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) executive director Peter Jacob.” Read more.

Pakistan: Gender-based crime: More violations of women’s rights in 2011 – “Speakers at a seminar on Wednesday sought strict implementation of pro-women legislation for elimination of violence against women. They referred to the statistics for three years and highlighted that gender-based crimes were on the rise in the country. As many as 1,842 cases were reported from Faisalabad in 2011 – more than 1,726 reported in 2010 and 1,193 in 2009. Of the crimes reported in 2011, ; 828 were of kidnapping, 196 of severe assault, 195 of sexual assault (52 gang rapes), 170 of murder, 43 of honour killing, 43 of suicide; 25 of burn injuries by acid attack or stove-explosion, 19 of sexual harassment, 13 of forcible abortion, five of trafficiking and three of genital mutilation.” Read more.