Islamabad, Sep 25 (IANS): A leading minority rights organisation has condemned the escalating violence against women in Pakistan, highlighting an entrenched culture of victim-blaming, harassment and so-called “honour” killings across the country.
According to Voice of Pakistan Minority (VOPM), women are routinely subjected to scrutiny over their clothing, movements, character and personal choices following violence against them.
“In Pakistan, a woman can be raped and still be asked what she did to cause it. She can be harassed over her clothes, location, or character. She can be murdered in the name of honour. Yet people still debate her choices instead of condemning the crime. This thinking is wrong. A woman’s clothes do not cause rape. Travelling at night does not justify assault. Trust does not equal consent. Rejecting a man does not give him the right to attack or kill,” the VOPM stated.
The rights body also denounced the practice of so-called “honour” killings, asserting that such crimes are driven by a belief in controlling and exerting entitlement over women.
“Honour killings are not traditions. They are crimes. They grow from control, entitlement, and the belief that a woman belongs to her family. No father, brother, husband, or relative owns a woman’s life. There is no honour in murder,” it added.
Highlighting the scale of the crisis, VOPM said Pakistan reported 3,172 cases of gender-based violence in the first six months of 2026, including 644 murders, 514 cases of torture, 462 abductions, 363 suicides, 280 rapes and 132 honour killings.
Of the reported cases, 74 per cent were recorded in Punjab and 17 per cent in Sindh, with over half occurring in victims’ homes.
“The actual number may be higher. Many women do not report violence. Fear, shame, family pressure, and distrust of police silence them,” VOPM noted.
Asserting that the escalating violence against women also exposes institutional failures, it said, “Violence can occur at home, on the street, or inside a police station. Women need trained police officers, proper investigations, forensic support, safe complaint systems, shelters, and faster trials.”
The rights body stressed that Pakistani authorities must ensure that perpetrators, not women, live in fear in the country.
“Women’s safety is a right. Pakistan must stop teaching women how to survive violence and start teaching men not to commit it. Those who commit violence—and those who protect them—must face justice,” VOPM noted.
