Better Implementation On Laws Imperative To Stop Crimes Against Women: Speakers

The speakers at a webinar on Monday said there was no dearth of laws in Pakistan to respond to crimes against women but their implementation was a real challenge that needed to be addressed at every level

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Aug, 2021 ) :The speakers at a webinar on Monday said there was no dearth of laws in Pakistan to respond to crimes against women but their implementation was a real challenge that needed to be addressed at every level.

Chairing a webinar titled as 'Femicide in Pakistan and the hashtag justice' organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Ms Khawar Mumtaz, former Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) said that according to the UN statistics, about 50,000 crimes against women took place by intimate partners every year, and Asia tops the list in this regard.

She highlighted, we have numerous overlapping laws, such as Anti Rape Law of 2016, but now an ordinance which has been passed by the parliament was quite conflicting with 2016 laws. Therefore, it was not about law but the implementation of the law that needs to be focused.

Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, I.G. NH&MP, while sharing his dismay over the situation of crimes against women in Pakistan said, it is unfortunate that we ranked 153 at global gender index. He said this fact shows that uplifting and upholding the rights of women is still a far cry in Pakistan.

He further said that the law enforcing agencies in the country have taken several steps to improve the situation.

However, we need to address several factors to stop femicide and violence against women. He said, women and children protection centers, desks at police stations, community policing etc are some of the steps towards the right direction but to improve the conviction rate, we need good forensic facilities and trained human resource to deal with such cases.

Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, was of view that it is binding for the nations across the globe to adhered to SDG- 5 which is about gender equity and equality. "We need to challenge the taboo, stigma and unwanted activism on social media which terms femicide or violence against women a domestic issue," Dr Suleri said and added further that victim blaming also needs to be stopped as things become more problematic when the justice system gets affected by the societal justifications of femicide and violence against women.

Ms Zoya Rehman, Feminist Researcher and Special Projects Manager at Media Matters, also shared her views with the participants on the topic and said that for a real democracy, we need to stop belittling women, their concerns, experiences and the real threats of violence that they experience on a daily level in Pakistan.