Data collected by the Punjab Police for the first four months of the year reveals alarming statistics of violent crimes against women.
During this period, 1,111 cases of rape and 5,551 cases of abduction of women were reported. Tragically, 53 women lost their lives in ‘honour killings’, while 219 cases of domestic violence against women were registered, according to a story by Hasan Naqvi in Friday Times.
While these statistics are of deep concern, there are growing concerns among police about another dangerous category of violent crime against women: trafficking.
During the first four months of this year, there were 613 reported cases of women being trafficked, a worrying trend according to a senior police official who shared the data with The Friday Times, requesting anonymity due to a lack of authorization to speak to the media.
Lahore emerged as a hotspot for rape incidents, with 139 incidents during the period. 117 cases were reported in Faisalabad, 41 in Sheikhupura, and 19 in Nankana. Other districts like Kasur, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Gujrat, Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot, Narowal, Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal also reported various incidents of rape.
In the case of honor killing, Dera Ismail Khan reported the highest number of cases (eight) while Lahore, Attock, Chakwal, Sahiwal, Pakpattan and Bahawalnagar reported one case each.
Other districts like Nankana, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Faisalabad, Jhang, Chiniot, Okara, Rajanpur and Bahawalpur also reported cases of honor killings.
