More than 10,000 VAW cases reported in Punjab

Islamabad : More than ten thousand cases of violence against women (VAW) were reported in Punjab during the first four months of 2023 with Lahore recorded the hotspot district with highest number of cases.

Around 5,551 women were kidnapped in the same period of time, which means on average, 2 women kidnapped after every single hour The alarming statistics made part of the report issued by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) on Tuesday.

The research report says that 1,768 cases of violence against children in Punjab from Jan to April 202 and around 7 children were sexually abused every single day during first four months According to research by, the Punjab Police registered an alarmingly high number of FIRs of cases of violence against women and children.

From January 1, 2023 to April 30, 2023, a total of 10,365 cases of violence against women were reported to the police, while 1768 cases of violence against children were also reported in the same period. The SSDO believes that the actual frequency of unreported cases may be even higher, as many people are unlikely to report such cases to the police due to social stigmas and lack of faith in law enforcement. Looking at specific types of crimes, a staggeringly high number of 5,551 women were kidnapped in Punjab during these four months, which meant that on average, after every single hour, two women were kidnapped. Out of all districts, Lahore led with 1,427 cases, which meant that one out of every four victims were kidnapped from the provincial capital. The next highest numbers were seen in cases of physical assault (2818), where Lahore once again remained the hotspot of crime (504), followed by Sheikhupura (262) and Faisalabad (225). In addition, 1,111 cases of rape and 613 cases of human trafficking were also reported, where once again Lahore accounted for the highest number of cases, 139 and 210 respectively. A large number of rape cases were also reported from Faisalabad (117).

Apart from crimes in the public sphere, a significant number of cases of violence against women in the private sphere were also reported. 219 cases of domestic violence were reported, where Gujranwala emerged as the hotspot district (64), followed by Lahore (38). Moreover, 53 cases of honour killing were also reported, where Rahimyar Khan (8) was a hotspot district. In terms of violence against children, it was observed that sexual violence was the most prevalent, with a total of 858 cases. This would mean that almost 7 children were sexually abused every single day. Among the hotspot districts were Faisalabad (82) and Lahore (74). Furthermore, 613 children were also kidnapped in this short time span, for an average of 5 per day. One-third of these cases were only from Lahore (210).

Along with kidnapping, 221 children were also subject to human trafficking, with Chiniot (44) accounting for almost one-fifth of the cases. Furthermore, 48 children were also murdered, while 24 cases of child labour and 4 cases of child marriage were also reported.