September 7, 2005	Wednesday	Sha’aban 2, 1426

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 6: The government has decide to develop a centralized data of women victims of violence, an official source at the women development ministry told Dawn.

At present no government organization maintains data about women who suffered various forms of violence. However, a number of national and international organizations every year come up with contrasting figures, on average putting it around 500 every year.

The women development ministry in collaboration with the interior ministry will maintain data on the basis of FIRs and cases reported in the press.

The 10 crisis centres set up by the ministry throughout the country will also be utilized for this purpose, the source said.

Gender-based violence in various forms including rape, abductions, domestic violence, honour killings and trafficking in women are routinely reported in the national press.

Violence against women is a pervasive yet under-recognized human rights violation in the country, and every year scores of women are killed in the name of honour, which never came to the lime light.

Pakistan has been facing tremendous pressure for some years because of increasing incidents of violence against women, which the non-governmental organizations highlighted through media.

Only recently the government passed a law against honour killings, which the opposition parties however dismissed as an eyewash, and which would not have any positive impact on the society.

At all international forums which discuss women’s rights, Pakistan is asked to give exact number of women victims, which so far has not been maintained, the source said.

Instead, officials representing government of Pakistan on these forums quote data collected by NGOs, which most of the time is not correct, the source added.

Therefore, the ministry of women development has finally decided to collect itself the data in collaboration with the interior ministry, the source said.

According to international women rights organizations, violence against women take a heavy toll on the mental and physical health of the victims.

Increasingly, gender-based violence is recognized as a major public health concern and a serious violation of basic human rights.

According to various studies at international level, one in every three women has suffered violence, be physical or sexual, and abused in some other way most often by someone she knows, including by her husband or another male family member; one woman in four has been abused during pregnancy.

Millions of women require medical attention or otherwise suffer the impact of gender-based violence; fear of violence inhibits discussion and constrains the health choices and life opportunities of many millions more, they said.

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