ISLAMABAD: Violence against women and children increased in 2021 as compared to the previous year but only a limited number of cases were highlighted in the media. There were 128 cases of violence against women in Islamabad registered, however only 40 of these cases were covered by the media.

Out of the 52,370 cases reported in 2021 only 8,719 received media coverage; about 27,273 cases involved violence against women. Punjab, from among the provinces, was where the highest number of such cases were registered but only a handful were covered by the media.

These statistics have been mentioned in a report prepared by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) which was launched at the National Press Club (NPC). The report is called ‘State of Violence Against Women & Children in Pakistan: District Wise Analysis’.

National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) Chairperson Afshan Tehseen said it was unfortunate that a number of sensitive cases related to violence against women and children often go unreported in the media.

Furthermore, she said women need to be cognisant of their basic human rights.

It was revealed at the launch that the report is published bi-annually with data collected through media tracking of Pakistan’s six most widely read newspapers including three published in Urdu and three English.

There were 18,390 cases of kidnapping of women but only 2,699 of these cases were highlighted in the media.

As many as 177 kidnapping cases (of women) were registered in Islamabad with just 68 reported in the media.

“It leads to a colossal difference in the treatment of cases in the media and official numbers, and also given the fact that Islamabad hosts one of the largest media outlets, print and electronic likewise,” the report stated.

Syed Kausar Abbas, executive director of SSDO said it was the first report of its kind where data collection is not based on estimates or projections but gathered from FIRs.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2022