The Constitution does not include provisions on Violence Against Women and Girls.
Protections are provided through a combination of national and provincial legislation. At the national level, the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2012 provides remedies for survivors, while provincial laws include the Sindh Domestic Violence (Protection and Prevention) Act, 2013, Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act, 2016, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Prevention and Rehabilitation) Act, 2021, and Balochistan Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2014.
Other national laws address specific forms of violence:
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Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Act, 2011: criminalizes forced marriage, marriage to settle disputes or to the Holy Quran, and inheritance denial.
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Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Act, 2011: criminalizes acid attacks, including through amendments to the Penal Code.
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Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016: addresses cyber harassment, stalking, bullying, and revenge porn.
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Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2018: provides measures to prevent trafficking, particularly of women and children.
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Anti-Honour Killing Act, 2016: criminalizes honour killings.
These laws broaden legal protections, define acts of violence as gender-based, and provide civil remedies (protection orders, relief services) alongside criminal sanctions. However, they generally do not frame domestic violence within systemic gender inequalities or patriarchal power structures. Some explicitly recognize that women and girls are disproportionately affected, but gaps remain, or example, marital rape is not comprehensively addressed.
A draft National EVAWG Policy has been prepared by the Ministry of Human Rights with UN Women Support, it is awaiting approval.
However, provisions related to Ending Violence Against Women are included in the National Gender Policy Framework (NGPF) 2022-2030 (Objective 6 Safety & Security | End Gender-based violence and mainstream gender protection across systems, policies, processes, and programs).
Furthermore, a draft National EVAWG Policy has been developed by the Ministry of Human Rights and is awaiting official approval (as of June 2025).
Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010.
Additionally, all other four provinces have also enacted similar laws: Pakistan Penal Code (1860), section 354, and section 509 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Rape is criminalized under Sections 375 and 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code. While there is no specific statutory provision explicitly criminalizing marital rape, the Criminal Laws Amendment Act 2021 and the Anti-Rape Investigation & Trial Act 2021 updated the definition of rape to include consent and broaden its scope (covering acts such as sodomy) without exemptions based on marriage. In a historic first, the Sindh High Court in January 2024 convicted a man for marital rape, sentencing him to three years’ imprisonment, establishing a significant legal precedent.
For example, according to Muslim Family Laws Ordinance, 1961 (MFLO):"Any man who wishes to divorce his wife shall, as soon as may be after the pronouncement of talaq in any form whatsoever, give the Chairman notice in writing of his having done so, and shall supply a copy thereof to the wife." (Article 7(1) of MFLO).
According to Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act, 1939 (DMMA), women can only divorce on certain grounds and do not have the right to divorce unilaterally.
Pakistan has provincial laws restraining child marriage, including the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025 and the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act 2013, with the minimum female marriage age set at 16 in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Pakistan has provincial laws restraining child marriage, including the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025 and the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act 2013, with the minimum female marriage age set at 16 in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) is a federal body responsible for the reviews of laws, policies, and programs related to women’s rights and providing recommendations to the government. It also works on initiatives to combat gender-based violence.
Women Development Departments (WDDs): At the provincial level, these departments are responsible for establishing policies and programs related to women’s empowerment and protection.
The Supreme court set procedures and guidelines for the creation of gender-based violence courts, provisions in the Criminal Procedure Code, Pakistan Penal Code 1860, and Qanun e-Shahadat Order 1984.
There are 480 courts designated to adjudicate Gender Based Violence cases, which include 116 district-level GBV Courts. All the designated judges are trained on how to handle GBV cases and preside over the courts.
During 2023, a total of 48,395 new cases were instituted in the GBV Courts across Pakistan and 30,631 cases were resolved.
The Ministry of Human Rights, in collaboration with Group Development Pakistan (GDP), has launched its first-ever Digital Victim Support Directory, a comprehensive resource that lists over 500 public and private organizations providing legal aid and support services for survivors of violence against women and girls (VAW/G).
Among the organizations featured are the Family Protection and Rehabilitation Centre, Ministry of Human Rights, Islamabad, the Legal Aid and Justice Authority (LA&JA), the Legal Aid Society, and the Aurat Foundation.
The Legal Aid and Justice Authority (LA&JA), established under the LA&JA Act 2020, is a government institution mandated to ensure access to justice for poor and vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, in criminal cases.
While all police departments in Pakistan maintain administrative crime data, this information is not made publicly available in a standardized format. Each provincial department uses its own parameters and indicators, which makes the data neither collatable nor comparable across provinces.
To address these gaps, the National Police Bureau (NPB) is intensifying efforts to harmonize and streamline data collection nationwide. With support from UN Women, the NPB has recently established a Gender Responsive Policing Unit (GRPU). Among its core functions, the GRPU is mandated to collate and analyze data on violence against women and girls and to generate evidence-based reports on various forms of gender-based violence for effective monitoring of crime trends and police performance. Although data for 2023 and 2024 have already been compiled, the consolidated report has not yet been published.
In Punjab, Pakistan has established a range of specialized mechanisms to address gender-based violence under the Ending Violence Against Women agenda. These include nine women-only police stations nationwide and ten dedicated GBV units within Punjab (UN Women; Punjab Police; WUNRN). The province has also piloted innovative service models, such as the Women and Juvenile Facilitation Center in Gujrat, which provides integrated criminal justice services, protection, first aid, and psychosocial support to survivors of violence. In addition, Lahore hosts the country’s first virtual women’s police station, accessible via mobile applications and chat functions, which extends its services across the entire province.
Between 2021-2022, the Federal Investigations Agency trained 3,238 officials from various departments on gender-based violence (GBV) and anti-trafficking enforcement laws. Provincial governments also conducted training for 36,850 officials, including 22,290 in Punjab, 2,853 in Sindh, 510 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 64 in Balochistan.
The National Police Bureau through the Provincial Police Departments, collates statistics on reports made pertaining to forms of violence such as rape, gang rape, domestic violence, harassment, honour killings and others annually. The data is not publicly available.
The National Council of Social Welfare provides data on access to social services such as shelters.
The Women Shelter Homes established by the Social Welfare Department, has a monitoring and evaluation system to conduct mid-term evaluations, monthly progress reports, and resident statistics.
Pakistan offers a range of social services to support women and girls experiencing violence and abuse, coordinated at both federal and provincial levels. At the federal level, nine social welfare centers operate under the Ministry of Human Rights, alongside the Family Protection & Rehabilitation Centre for Women, which provides shelter, free psychosocial support, legal assistance, and medical services.
Provincial initiatives include 36 shelters in Punjab (one per district), 34 facilities in Sindh (four shelters plus one safe house in each of 30 districts, being converted into shelter homes), six shelters in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and four shelters in Balochistan. Additional support is provided by the Panah Shelter Home, which caters to women in distress, particularly those facing abuse and domestic violence.
Complementing these shelters, the Punjab Women’s Toll-Free Helpline #1043 offers a team of women agents, legal advisors, psychosocial counselors, and supervisors to handle inquiries, complaints, and provide counseling for survivors of gender-based violence, harassment, and discrimination.
Pakistan has over 140 district headquarters hospitals equipped to handle a broad range of emergencies, including cases of violence against women and girls. Urban centers typically have multiple facilities, whereas rural districts face challenges related to capacity and availability.
Under the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021, Anti-Rape Crisis Cells have been established within the emergency response units of each district headquarters hospital. These specialized units provide immediate, coordinated, and victim-centered support to survivors of sexual violence, ensuring medical, legal, and psychosocial assistance in line with national standards.
