Legal Barriers for Domestic Violence Victims in Pakistan

Abstract

Domestic violence in Pakistan is a grim reality, hitting everyone, especially women and children. Laws exist to punish offenders and protect victims, yet they simply don't work when put into practice. Victims often stay quiet because of social shame, fear of revenge, money woes, or just not knowing the legal options. Some police officers shrug off their duty, wedded to unwritten codes that let family drama spill over. Legal help, shelters, and NGOs try to patch things up, though these supports are few and patchy. Court processes drag on with sky-high proof demands, making convictions or protective orders a wild card. Deep-rooted customs and inflexible, old-school patriarchal attitudes just let violence linger. Sure, the government tries its hand with things like awareness drives and helplines—efforts that, in many cases, only nudge change along—but on their own, they rarely do the trick. Often, it really takes a diverse mix of state teams, local community fighters, and everyday folks working together to stitch up a safer future in Pakistan.