Domestic violence goes beyond four walls of home, experts say

KU-UN Women seminar highlights abuse goes beyond physical assault, calls for better reporting, child-friendly clinics and safe campuses

IV Report

KARACHI: Domestic violence is not confined to the four walls of a home and goes far beyond physical assault, experts stressed at a seminar at the University of Karachi on Wednesday.

The Centre of Excellence for Women’s Studies (CEWS), in collaboration with UN Women and the KU Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC), organised the discussion on ‘Growing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Pakistan: Legal Gaps, Implementation Challenges and Way Forward’ at the Chinese Teachers Memorial Auditorium.

Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed said violence could include harm to a person’s body, mind, reputation or property and could attract serious legal action.

“It is incorrect to consider domestic violence as confined only to the boundaries of the home; close family relationships are also encompassed within its domain, whether the incident occurs inside or outside the household,” she said.

She said medico-legal reports, medical evidence and police proceedings are interconnected, and accurate documentation is vital for justice. She warned that most cases of violence against women and children, child abuse and sexual exploitation go unreported, and called for child-friendly medical clinics with psychological and social rehabilitation and child-sensitive procedures keeping in view age and psychological condition.

Dr Syed also stressed that protecting women and children requires practical participation within the system, not just complaints, and highlighted the need to ensure women’s health, hygiene, safety and dignity during menstruation and in emergencies and natural disasters. She urged media, particularly television dramas, to promote dignified, confident and empowered portrayals of women
and children.

HRCP Senior Council Member Mehnaz Rahman said the actual number of GBV cases is far higher than reported, and incidents of rape and murder of minor girls are a matter of deep concern. Women and children being unsafe even in their own homes indicates protection systems must be strengthened.

Additional Advocate General Dr Muhammad Shahrukh Shanawaz pointed out that in some sexual violence cases, women seeking justice risked being accused of adultery or fornication. Citing some past Hudood cases he said rape and fornication differ in nature and legal requirements and must be treated distinctly to protect survivors from further legal and social harm.

Sindh Human Rights Commission Chairperson Advocate Rubina Brohi said social norms are often misused to create trouble for women and children and shared that her own education, made possible by her father’s support, opened doors for hundreds of village girls.

Journalist Lubna Jarar Naqvi said mainstream and entertainment media has unnecessarily glamorised crime scenes involving women and children, and meaningful change in media can transform society. Dean Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Prof Dr Samina Saeed said violence often starts with humiliation, boundary violation, psychological pressure, fear and online harassment. “Gender-based violence is not solely a women’s issue but a collective problem of society,” she said, calling for safe, clear and confidential complaint mechanisms in universities where victims can speak without fear.

Earlier, CEWS faculty Dr Aliyah Bilgrami, Prof Dr Shagufta Nasreen and former dean Prof Dr Shaista Tabassum said silence only allows violence to grow, and effective legislation, enforcement, institutional cooperation, awareness and translating research into practical strategies are needed to dismantle entrenched patterns of abuse.

Photos courtesy: KU