Domestic violence in Pakistan

Introduction:
Domestic violence is an endemic social problem in Pakistan.It is violence or other abuse by one
person against another in a domestic setting such as in marriage .It can also involve violence
against children parents and elder or may be done for self-defense.In Pakistan, more than 5000
women are being killed per year due to domestic violence.

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1) Causes: 1) Causes:
● Conflict with husband and in laws at
times over financial matters lead to
domestic violence not only by the
husband but also by other family
members.
● Infertility means having no children.If
a woman cannot perceive a child for
many years after marriage or in some
cases after even small period of time
after marriage,the blame is put on wife
for having no children and as a
result,women fall victim to verbal
abuse and domestic violence.
● Low image of women is another cause
of domestic violence in
Pakistan.Women are considered lower
to men in backward families and men
in order to show their power,authority
and dominance use the tool of beating.
● Violence within society,low image of
nursing profession is the main cause of
domestic violence suffered by the
nurses.Interview with 458 nurses of 4
hospitals showed that 82 percent of
them had to face some form of
domestic violence at job.The
perpetrators were patient relatives,staff
members and patients.
● Patriarchal values are embedded in
Pakistani society which determines the
subordinated position of women.
● Household descion making power
● Economic decision making power
● Generally ,​ ​it is assumed that a low
literacy rate of women contributes as
an important factor of domestic
violence. As uneducated women are
economically less productive, it is
typically the case that they are seen to
have a less bargaining power in the
family.
● Women are not even allowed to make
decisions about her life ,if they show
some of their interest they are treated
badly and is fall victim of domestic
violence.
● Domestic violence is considered as a
private matter and is mostly not
handled by police that is resulting into
high rate of violence in our society.
● Domestic violence against women in
Pakistan include women low
educational levels, low empowerment,
wrong interpretation of religious,
traditional and cultural norms in
society, poverty.
● A systematic review of 23 studies
conducted between 1985 and 2011
found that a majority were conducted
in Karachi.
● coexistence of multiple wives of the
husband, previous pregnancy and

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2.Effects of Violence:
● Any utilization of power that causes
agony or damage, for example, hitting,
kicking or slapping.
● Consistent feedback, undermining to
hurt friends and family or badgering at
school or in the work environment.
interfamilial conflict, including with
in-laws , and aggressive behavior of
the wife were identified as significant
predictors of the risk of IPV in these
studies.
● higher women’s contribution to the
household income by participating in
income generating programs was
associated with significantly higher
past-year physical violence in one
study in Bangladesh
● The literature indicates that gender
inequality is at the source of​ ​violence
against women in Pakistan, including
IPV, which may be mitigated via
women’s empowerment.
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2.Effect of Violence:
● In 1999,approximately 70% to 90% 0f
Pakistani women are subjected to
IPV.These estimates include various
forms of violence against women such
as susal abuse; physical and mental
abuse.
● Women were asked about lifetime
and past-year occurrence of the
following events: pushed, shook, or

● “The study have shown that 98%
professionals suffered some form
ofdomestic violence at some point of
their married life where as 72% had to
face sexual abuse at home.”
● Violence have a wide ranging negative
effect as the consequent hormonal
changes altered immune system, damage
growth and development, digestive and
reproductive systems.
● Violence effected people mental
disorders such as epilepsy which effect
two million people in Pakistan.
had something thrown at them;
slapped; punched with a fist or hit
with something harmful; kicked or
dragged; strangled or burnt; and,
threatened with a knife, gun, or other
weapon. Women who reported at
least one of these events were
deemed to have experienced physical
IPV.
● If women had ever been humiliated,
threatened with harm, and insulted or
made to feel bad by their
husbands/partners. Women who
reported to experience any of the three
were deemed to have experienced
emotional violence.
● Women were asked if their husbands
or partners (a) were jealous if they
talked to other men, (b) accused them
of being unfaithful, (c) do not permit
them to meet female friends, (d) try to
limit their contact with family
members, and (e) insist on knowing
where they are. Women who reported
to experience any of the above were
deemed to have husbands who use
controlling behavior violence.
● Justification of wife beating was
measured through five statements
with which respondents either agreed
or disagreed: Wife beating is justified
if wife burns food, argues with
husband, goes out without telling him,
neglects the children, or refuses to
have sexual intercourse with the
husband. A count variable was created
to indicate number of events for which
respondents justified wife beating
ranging from 1 to 5.
● According to this article 77% women
faced verbal abuse whereas 10% were
subjected to sexual violence. 34%
complained of bullying.
● A large percentage (93.7%) of the
● In terms of wealth assets, the study
● Forty percent of the women in
the study sample reported lifetime
prevalence of IPV, while 28.3%
reported experiencing IPV in the past
12 months. Forty-seven percent of the
women reported experiencing
emotional violence, while 41.6% said
their partners used controlling
behaviors to control them.
women had children, and lived in
households with multiple members.
Approximately, 34% of the women
lived in households with one to four
members, 63% lived in households
with five to nine members, while 3.7%
lived in households with more
than 10 members. Almost 35% of
them lived in urban areas, while the
rest lived in rural areas.
sample was almost evenly distributed;
17.2% were categorized as “poorest”
by Pakistan Demographic and Health
Survey, 18.6% were categorized as
“poor,” 19.18% were categorized as
“middle,” 25.1% as “richer,” and
19.4% as “richest.”
● Those women who had higher
education were less likely to report
experience of IPV in their lifetime
compared with those who had no
education.
● Women who reported adherence to
patriarchal norms or system were 1.39
times more likely to report
experiencing IPV at least once in their
 lifetime, compared with women who
did not adhere to patriarchal norms.

● This study controlled for variables

found to be correlated with IPV: age,
education, presence of children,
number of household members,
household wealth assets, and urban
dwelling.