The global 16 days of Activism against gender-based violence is a yearly campaign from November 25th until December 10th. These days are also honoured in Pakistan, with civil society, women’s rights organisations, and private and public institutions calling for and pledging to the cause. The Punjab Women Development Department is set to observe these days but there are key questions that must be asked at this time. The biggest one being, is mere commemoration enough to tackle the issue? Unlikely.
A UN report on femicide released on 25th November 2022, revealed that 5 women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their family. At home, gruesome instances of violence are reported daily. Domestic violence, an issue mostly seen as “private”, is more deep-rooted than it seems. Reported data indicates that 34 percent of married women in Pakistan have experienced spousal violence and 56 percent have neither sought help nor spoken out.
The problem is that this is no longer a legislative issue. Legislation against domestic violence, honour killing and more exists on paper but varies in implementation drastically. Every province has these laws but the seriousness with which they are enacted depends on the traction of the case and socio-economic elements. In most cases, investigators are privy to the crime and choose not to act or stop it. This is most common in incidents of a domestic nature where survivors are left on their own to deal with their “private” matters.
While commemoration and encouragement during the 16 days are essential, it is important for policy efforts to be pervasive. Gender-based violence is endemic in the country and natural disasters exacerbate already patriarchal structural and gender inequities. GBV also registered a massive spike during the pandemic and the climate emergency may continue aggravation. Therefore, gaps in implementation and political will must be filled by action plans. Most importantly, the need for societal and structural change is urgent. Civil society education campaigns must be launched, and social education should be encouraged. On service delivery ends, mechanisms to report abuse and violence must be made easier and more accessible to survivors.