Abstract
Two distinctive developments have recently brought greater attention to the
persistent problem of gender-based and domestic violence. The first
development was the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill
2020, presented in the Parliament of Pakistan and fiercely debated inside and
outside the two houses of Pakistani legislature. The second development has
been a series of high-profile cases of domestic and gender-based violence that
have shocked, and in some ways, divided the nation.
These developments are indicative of the pace of social change in
Pakistan. Domestic violence has been an unfortunate presence in the country
for as long as the country has existed. It has taken many forms – physical,
psychological, and social. However, the reporting of the crime has been
notoriously low. Law enforcement agencies, like the broader society, tend to
shy away from getting involved in these cases, even when they are brought to
their attention. The notion that domestic violence is a private, family matter
has dictated the usual response to it. However, recent developments suggest
that the trend is slowly, but surely, changing. There are several factors to
which such a change can be ascribed, such as the relative financial
independence of women, greater attention by mass media—driven often by
indignation on the social media, and subsequently a more open debate in the
public sphere. These changes also have several implications for law
enforcement and for criminology, in general.
Aamer Raza. (2020) Domestic and Gender-Based Violence: Old Challenges, New Dimensions, Pakistan Journal of Criminology, Volume-12, Issue-3.
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