Violence against women surges, Parliament demands full case tracking  

The Parliament has called for a tougher response to violence against women and girls, demanding that serious cases be tracked

Islamabad: The Parliament has called for a tougher response to violence against women and girls, demanding that serious cases be tracked from the first complaint through investigation, prosecution, trial and final punishment.

The Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming, chaired by Dr Nafisa Shah, held its 27th meeting at Parliament House and expressed grave concern over the increasing cases of violence against women and girls across the country.

The committee strongly condemned all forms of violence against women and girls and stood with the victims and their families. It called on federal and provincial authorities to ensure quick, fair and transparent investigations and timely prosecution of cases.

The committee also demanded action against officials who are found responsible for negligence, unnecessary delays, interference, failure to protect victims or failure to preserve important evidence.

Members said simply registering a case or forming an inquiry committee is not enough. They said every serious case must be followed through the complete legal process so that it does not disappear between police investigation and the courts.

The chairperson said the main goal must be convictions based on proper investigations, strong evidence and timely prosecution.

As part of the proposed new system, the committee recommended creation of a Serious Case Cell within Islamabad Police. The cell would monitor serious cases involving violence against women and children and ensure that the cases continue to receive attention at every stage.

The committee also directed the Secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights to work with police chiefs in all four provinces and relevant authorities in Islamabad to develop a central dashboard for tracking cases.

The proposed dashboard would show the progress of each case from registration through investigation, evidence collection and preservation, prosecution, trial and final disposal.

The committee also decided to obtain detailed reports on conviction rates in cases of violence against women. Members said these figures would help Parliament find weaknesses in investigations, prosecution and the law and measure how well the system is working.

The committee made clear that the focus should not only be on the number of cases registered but on what happens to those cases after registration and whether the people responsible are eventually punished.

The meeting also reviewed progress on a national policy for Pakistan’s care economy. The Ministry of Human Rights told the committee that work was under way on a national framework covering childcare, care for older people, care for persons with disabilities, community care and unpaid care work.

The committee welcomed the progress but said the policy must clearly explain what care work means and which federal and provincial institutions will be responsible for providing it.

Members also said the government must identify gaps in laws and public services and recognise the economic value of unpaid household and care work.

The committee called for coordination with the Ministry of Finance, the Planning Commission and the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to ensure that proper funding is available for care services.

It also called for regular Time Use Surveys based on international standards so the country can better understand how people spend their time on paid work, household work and care responsibilities.