GENDER based violence (GBV) remains one of the most entrenched and devastating realities in Pakistan, cutting across geography, class and culture to shape the lives of millions of women and girls. Each year, the global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Based Violence, running this year from November 25 to December 10, serves as a reminder that women’s rights and human rights are inseparable. While this year’s theme focused on “end digital violence against all women and girls,” it was a subset of how gender based violence persists in Pakistan, even as digital violence becomes increasingly widespread.

In Pakistan, this year’s campaign opened with the launch of a report on digital violence and a compendium of derogatory terms used against women in Urdu and Punjabi by the ‘UKs’ Research Centre, underscoring how deeply misogyny is woven into both language and lived experience. Yet despite decades of advocacy, legal reforms and international commitments, the scale of violence continues to grow.

The numbers alone reveal the magnitude of the crisis. In 2024, more than 32,000 Gender based violence cases were officially reported nationwide, while conviction rates in many categories hovered around a shocking 1.2%. Domestic abuse, rape, honour killings, abductions and rising digital harassment continue to erode women’s safety, health and participation in society. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) recorded over 60,000 cases of violence against women and........

© Pakistan Observer