Sahil, an organisation that tracks gender-based violence, has indicated a notable increase in crimes against women throughout Pakistan during the first eleven months of 2025 in its annual report. This report has been compiled based on data obtained from 81 national newspapers across all four provinces, the Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB). It reveals that there were 6,543 reported incidents in 2025, up from 5,253 cases in 2024, marking an increase of almost twenty-five per cent within one year. The incidents recorded from January to November 2025 consist of 1,414 murders, 1,144 abductions, 1,060 physical assaults, 649 suicides and 585 rapes.
The data also shows that in 32 per cent of the rape incidents, the assailants were known to the victims, while 17 per cent involved unknown attackers. Husbands were reported as the perpetrators in 12 per cent of these cases and in 21 per cent, the identity of the offenders was not disclosed. The findings further reveal that a large portion of gender-based violence occurs within the victims’ homes, making up 60 per cent of the recorded incidents, while 13 per cent took place at the premises of the attackers. In terms of regional distribution, Punjab accounted for 78 per cent of the overall cases, followed by Sindh at 14 per cent, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa at 6 per cent and a combined 2 per cent from Balochistan, Islamabad, PoJK, and PoGB.
Among all reported incidents, 77 per cent were documented with the police, while 21 per cent lacked any registration details. Only two cases were noted where the police refused to file a complaint. Recently, the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) published its own fact sheet on violence against women, documenting over 20,000 incidents nationwide during the first half of 2025. The SSDO report pointed to extremely low conviction rates, delays in investigations and judicial procedures and poor evidence quality as significant obstacles. Punjab was identified as the leading province due to its relatively active reporting systems.
Sahil’s latest evaluation cautions that the true extent of gender-based violence may be significantly higher, as numerous incidents remain unreported due to societal barriers, lack of access and safety issues.
The organisation emphasised that without establishing secure reporting venues, providing effective legal support and ensuring prompt justice for survivors, the rising trend of violence cannot be effectively addressed.
(With Inputs from ANI)
