Breaking the Silence: The Crucial Picture of Domestic Violence in Pakistan

Abstract

Domestic violence continues to be a global issue and in Pakistan as well, whether in terms of social, cultural or financial reasons it has not been uprooted from its roots in the society. This study seeks to examine the dimensions of DV, physical, emotional, sexual, and economic abuse reported by the victims in Pakistan. “When there is a legal mechanism in place to preserve the rights of victims, it empowers survivors to raise their voice but a lot of women still are not. There is stigma, and people are scared,” Leuteht said, calling on the government to do more to fight disparities between men and women that have reigned for generations within the home. Deep-rooted patriarchal norms, alcoholism, poverty and poor implementation of protective laws have compounded the problem. Victims can suffer physical injury as well as psychological harm with long-term consequences such as anxiety, depression, and poor quality of life. This study recommends a multi-factorial, multi-sectoral approach – this would include better data collection community-wide prevention impact, better legal enforcement, together with economic empowerment schemes targeted at women and girls - to tackle DV in Pakistan.