MULTAN, March 7: Women’s rights activist Mukhtar Mai said on Friday women all over the world were victim of violence manifested in every form and shape.

Mai told a conference on ‘violence against women, its causes, reflects and its end’ that women were castigated for being women and there was need to raise awareness among the public regarding women’s rights in society.

The conference was organised by the Mukhtar Mai Women’s Welfare Organisation.

“I urge society to double their efforts to end all forms of violence against the women, especially deaths over honour and dowry issues as the women have right to live a violence-free life,” she said.

Rashid Rehman, Task Force Human Rights Commission of Pakistan south Punjab chairman, said that domestic and custody related violence against women was common in Pakistan. Cases of burning women and acid throwing on them had increased but laws regarding violence were not being implemented in the country.

He said violence was a powerful weapon by the family and society against women to subjugate them.

He said even though poverty, lack of education and awareness among the masses were the reasons behind the increasing violence incidents but the main reason behind the increasing violence incidents was due to government’s pathetic role.

Mustafa Baloch said that domestic violence against women was one of the issues disturbing sensitive people in the country.

Tahira Abdullah said that women were treated as no more than a chattel or piece of furniture, but their contribution to GDP was underestimated. She said rural women contributed to the economy by working in fields, livestock farms and in cottage industry.