Violence Against Women Swat North West Frontier Province,

Iqbal. R. (ed)
Researcher Advocate Ziauddin, M., published by UNICEF, 1999

This report looks at cases of violence against women in the Swat region in NWFP analyzing it within the Pakistani context. It also examines the underlying causes of this violence which include poor education, economic dependence on men, limited political power, insufficient access to social services, discrimination before law and lack of mobility. Keeping these in view the report takes into account the social, physical, mental and psychological abuse that women face. It also traces the cultural and historical background of how women have been the bastions of male honor and pashtunwali specific to pashtun society. The incidents have been taken from police reports and data has been collected from local administration as well as victims of violence and their relatives. It covers cases of physical, sexual and custodial cases and elucidates upon the court cases as well. The report emphasizes the need to break the status quo and work with both men and women. It also highlights the constitutional and international rights bestowed upon women.

Key words: Violence, Abuse, Physical Violence, Sexual Violence, Custodial Violence, Legal Rights, and Customs.