The Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) has released a concerning new report titled “Mapping Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Pakistan 2024,” highlighting the widespread prevalence of gender-based violence across the country. The report provides a detailed, province-wise analysis of key offenses, including rape, honor killings, kidnapping/abduction, and domestic violence, with a specific focus on the provinces of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).
According to the report, an alarming 32,617 cases of gender-based violence were reported nationwide in 2024. These included 5,339 incidents of rape, 24,439 cases of kidnapping/abduction, 2,238 incidents of domestic violence, and 547 honor killings. Despite the large number of reported cases, the report underscores the critically low conviction rates across all categories of GBV, exposing serious deficiencies in Pakistan’s criminal justice system. Conviction rates for rape and honor killings stand at a mere 0.5%, while kidnapping/abduction cases have an even lower conviction rate of 0.1%. Domestic violence cases show slightly better outcomes, with a conviction rate of 1.3%.
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The report revealed that Punjab recorded the highest number of GBV cases, with a staggering 26,753 incidents. Of these, 4,641 were cases of rape, but the conviction rate stood at a dismal 0.4%. Only two convictions were recorded for the 225 honor killings in the province, while the 20,720 cases of kidnapping and abduction resulted in just 16 convictions. Domestic violence cases in Punjab also showed a worrying trend, with only three convictions from 1,167 reported incidents.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) recorded 3,397 GBV cases, including 258 rape cases with just one conviction and 134 honor killings, resulting in two convictions. In Sindh, 1,781 GBV cases were reported, but no convictions were recorded for 243 rape cases or 134 honor killings. Balochistan, with 398 cases, showed slightly better outcomes in domestic violence cases, recording 25 convictions out of 160 incidents—the highest conviction rate for this category among all provinces. Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) saw 220 GBV cases but recorded no convictions for honor killings or domestic violence.
Syed Kausar Abbas, SSDO’s executive director, expressed deep concern over these figures, calling for urgent reforms in law enforcement and the judicial system. He stressed the importance of improving police investigations, legal procedures, and the efficiency of trials to ensure justice is served without delay. “Every survivor deserves justice,” Abbas said, urging government institutions, civil society, and legal bodies to work together to create a safer environment for survivors.
Shahid Jatoi, Director Programs at SSDO, echoed these sentiments, highlighting the systemic failures in Pakistan’s criminal justice system that have led to these abysmal conviction rates. He emphasized that the current state of investigations, societal stigma, and weak judicial accountability are major obstacles in addressing the scale of gender-based violence.
Jatoi further noted that limited access to legal aid and cultural pressures discourage many survivors from seeking justice, perpetuating a cycle where perpetrators go largely unpunished. The SSDO report calls for immediate and comprehensive reforms to align Pakistan’s legal system with the gravity of GBV offenses and protect survivors from further harm.
