LAHORE: Around 60 to 70pc of women in Pakistan are suffering from some form of violence and abuse, around 5,000 women are killed every year while thousands become disabled because of domestic violence.

These figures have been revealed by the White Ribbon, an organisation which focuses on Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG), on the Day of Elimination of Violence against Women to mark the International 16 Days of Activism from Nov 25 to Dec 9.

Expressing concerns at the current condition of Pakistani women, White Ribbon CEO Omer Aftab stressed the need for immediate steps for eradication of violence against women.

“One out of every five women in Pakistan faces domestic violence and the ratio has increased alarmingly by 20pc in recent years,” he said.

Speaking at a nationwide pledge campaign launched by White Ribbon, he said the incidents of the VAWG, including domestic violence, murder, rape, child abuse, child marriages, honour killing, harassment and other anti-women cultural practices, were on the rise.

“White Ribbon is striving to end the violence against women by engaging men and boys to take the pledge: Never to commit violence, excuse it or remain silent about it. White Ribbon is actually a men’s movement to end violence against women by addressing men and the patriarchal mindset of individuals and society. We believe it is not sufficient to create awareness about women rights among the women only, men must join them; to encourage norms of consent, respect and gender equality; to challenge the unfair power relations, which promote gender-based violence,” Mr Aftab added.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2020