WHERE is a woman safe in Pakistan? It is a painful and uncomfortable constitutional question confronting the nation today. Is she safest within the walls of her own home? Domestic violence, incest, child sexual abuse and honour-based violence suggest otherwise. Is she safe in schools, universities, workplaces, public transport, parks or shopping malls? Every day, countless women change their routes, avoid travelling after dark or simply choose not to go—not because the law requires it, but because fear does. Every Constitution is ultimately judged not by the laws it contains but by the security it provides.

Violence against women is becoming one of the extremely prevalent socio-cultural problems in Pakistan. While the incidences of gender-based violence has increased exponentially in the Islamic Republic, despite the fact that this does not represent the ideals of Islam on treatment of women, but it does lead to the negative stereotype that Islam condones such brutality. It is also notable that authentic Hadith collections report that Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) discouraged hitting women and is reported never to have struck his wives. Violence on and subjugation of women, are more often a result of misguided misogynistic mindset rather than societal endorsements or divine sanctions.

Even institutions established to protect citizens are not beyond scrutiny. Allegations of abuse in police custody and detention facilities undermine public trust. Meanwhile, the digital world has created a new geography of fear, where hidden cameras, intimate videos, AI-generated images and online blackmail allow violence to continue long after........

© Pakistan Observer