The Women’s Action Forum (WAF) has issued a damning report exposing Pakistan’s inability to safeguard its women. Between July 2021 and June 2025, Sindh alone reported 2,176 cases of gender-based violence (GBV). The Hyderabad chapter of WAF compiled this data through daily monitoring of print, digital, and social media.
Activists warn that the true figures are far higher due to underreporting, fear of reprisals, and lack of trust in police and legal systems.
The most alarming finding: murders of women rose by 216% between 2021 and 2022. Rape cases jumped by 291%, and suicides almost doubled. Over four years, WAF documented 531 murders (excluding “honour” killings), 307 honour killings, more than 250 rapes, 139 domestic violence cases, and 548 suicides.
Most perpetrators were husbands, fathers, brothers, and in-laws—showing that violence is rooted inside the home. “These are not random tragedies,” WAF stressed. “They are part of a patriarchal design that controls women’s lives through fear, punishment, and silence.”
The report dismantles the belief that violence must be physical to be real. It notes that patriarchy can operate through surveillance, forced marriages, denial of education, restricted mobility, and economic dependency. Women seeking independence are branded immoral; those demanding rights face threats, rape, or death.
Many suicides involved girls under 25—some as young as 12.
Few rape or murder cases resulted in convictions. Courts move slowly, police show indifference, and survivors get little institutional support. In 94 workplace harassment cases, including schools, help was minimal.
Honour killings remain largely unpunished, with 95% carried out by male relatives. Police often refuse to register FIRs unless pressured by media or protests.
WAF warns of growing ideological attacks on women’s rights movements. Religious hardliners and conservative media label initiatives like Aurat March as “obscene,” “Western,” or “anti-Islamic.” This rhetoric fuels public hostility and justifies violence.
Sexually demeaning language against female politicians is broadcast without censure, reinforcing everyday misogyny.
Despite grim realities, WAF continues to stand with survivors, offer legal aid, hold vigils, and confront state inaction. The conclusion of their four-year study is stark: Pakistan remains unsafe for women.
Until the state dismantles patriarchal systems, ends impunity, and protects those who resist, violence will remain a grim norm rather than an exception.
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