Islamabad, September 10, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a deep-rooted and multi-faceted challenge in Pakistan, requiring a coordinated, multi-sectoral approach involving government institutions, communities and other stakeholders, according to a report.
The report noted that prevention measures and conviction rates in GBV cases remain low despite the enactment of anti-rape legislation, domestic violence laws and several amendments aimed at addressing crimes against women.
It attributed the continuing problem to a combination of inadequate political will, entrenched stereotypes, social taboos and judicial processes burdened by legal and procedural complexities.
“If we are serious about nipping GBV in the bud, the whole ‘ecosystem’ nurturing violence against women must be disabled,” the report said, stressing that the problem stems from individual attitudes, family dynamics, community norms and other social factors.
The report’s findings come amid a series of alleged sexual violence cases reported in Lahore in recent days. Six women were allegedly raped, while three young girls, including a mentally challenged 15-year-old, were reportedly sexually assaulted in separate incidents, according to reports cited by the Dawn newspaper.
In one case, a suspect allegedly took the mentally challenged girl to a deserted location and raped her. In another, a woman in Hanjarwal alleged that her former husband forcibly entered her home, raped her, assaulted her when she resisted and threatened her against approaching the police.
Another woman alleged that a cab driver lured her with a promise of a well-paid factory job. After calling her to Kahna on the pretext of discussing the opportunity, the driver and an associate allegedly gang-raped her, recorded the assault and subsequently used the video to blackmail her.
A woman from Johar Town also approached police, alleging that a man had established a physical relationship with her on the promise of marriage but refused to marry her after she became pregnant. Police in Nishtar Colony and Shahdara Town separately registered rape cases following complaints from women alleging repeated sexual assaults.
The scale of the problem is also reflected in Sahil’s six-month report released in July. It recorded 3,172 cases of gender-based violence in Pakistan during the first six months of 2026, including 18 cases involving transgender persons.
The report recorded 644 murders, 514 cases of torture, 462 abductions, 363 suicides, 280 rapes, 175 injuries, 132 honour killings and 21 other offences, including harassment, gang rape and pornography-related cases.
Among the victims whose ages were reported, 334 were between 21 and 30 years, 306 were aged 11 to 20, and 120 were between 31 and 40. The ages of victims were not recorded in 71 per cent of the cases.
The data was compiled from national and regional newspapers covering Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan.
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