PESHAWAR, July 28: The violence against women has increased by 12 percent during the past six months in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to a report compiled by Aurat Foundation.

“About 342 cases of violence against women had taken place from January to June in 2010 while this year 389 cases have been reported during the same period,” said Sherin Javed, the regional coordinator of Aurat Foundation, while presenting the biannual report here on Thursday.

She said that out of the reported cases 179 were of murder, 28 of abduction, 81 of domestic violence, 41 of suicide, 14 of honour killing, three of rape and 43 cases were of miscellaneous nature.

Ms Javed said that out of all those cases of violence against women about 259 were registered at different police stations while 82 remained unregistered and 49 unconfirmed.

She said that about 149 cases were reported in Peshawar, 50 in Mardan, 43 in Nowshera, 20 in Charsadda, 16 in Swat, 14 in Swabi, 12 each in Manshera, D.I. Khan, and Kohat, nine in Malakand, eight in Haripur, six each in Buner and Bannu and seven cases were reported in Dir Upper. She said that more than 246 cases were reported in rural areas and about 140 were reported in urban localities.

Ms Javed said that family disputes, property feuds, petty issues, suspicion of illicit relations, refusal to marriage proposal, choice marriage, forced marriage and old enmities were main reasons of growing cases of violence against women in the province.

The weapons used in those cases were mostly pistols, axes, sharp knives, poisonous medicines, kerosene oil and sticks. The data, she said, was collected through different sources including print media and women crisis centres. “We also collect data through our own sources about violence-hit women in different districts of the province,” she added.

Ms Javed said that information were gathered from Khyber, Mohmand and Kurram agencies while the rest of the regions of Fata were inaccessible for journalists.

The number of cases might be higher but police avoided registering them, she said. She added that most of the cases did not seem to have been registered on the basis of facts but influenced by vested interests.

Dr Salahuddin also spoke on the occasion and answered questions of the journalists.—Bureau Report