Keeping tabs on brutalities: Madadgar Helpline data

Keeping tabs on brutalities
Staff Report: Daily Times, December 11, 2007

LAHORE: Around 15,298 cases of violence were reported from January to November, says Madadgar Helpline in its press release issued on Monday.

According to the release, from January 2000 to November 2007 about 127,210 cases of violence were reported nationwide. Out of them, 6,744 cases were reported in 2000, 11,502 in 2001, 15,184 in 2002, 19,649 in 2003, 20,237in 2004, 20,764 in 2005 and 17,832 in 2006.

The province wise break-up indicates that at least 3,090 cases were registered in Balochistan, 7,228 in the NWFP, 81,593 in the Punjab and 35,299 in Sindh.

The release claims that crime and violence are rapidly increasing in the Punjab. It says violence cases are underreported in Balochistan and the NWFP and that is the reason for less reported violence in these provinces. “In several instances, jirgas are organised to deal with crimes,” the release says.

The release says that out of the total number 17,394 were of murder cases in which 10,812 were women victims and 4,915 were children victims and only in 1,667 men were victim.

About 8,890 people became victims of karo-kari customs. Among them 5,433 were women, 281 were children and 3,177 were men.

The report says 8,076 cases of police torture were reported. Among them, 1,010 were women victims, 540 were children and 6,526 were men.

Sixteen thousand nine hundred and forty-two people committed suicide for various reasons. Out of them, 819 were women, 2,410 were children and 13,713 were men.

Human trafficking also remained a major cause of human rights violation with 2,322 victims. Among them 533 were women, 534 were children, 1,255 were men.

The release says there were 16,963 cases of kidnapping for ransom. Among those 9,689 were women and 7,274 were child victims.

Around 3,242 cases were registered under the Hudood Ordinance that involved 521 women and 2,721 men, the release says. It says that 3,843 women were sexually abused, 287 women were raped and killed and 1,538 women were gang raped. About 11,414 women were physically abused and 1,779 were burnt alive.

Around 2,572 children became victims of physical abuse. The number of minor girls was 2,389 and 2,054 cases of sodomy were reported. “At least 7,845 children disappeared mysteriously,” the release says.