Islamabad: Only around five percent of the accused involved in gender-based violence were convicted in 2024, despite more than 4,900 cases of rape being reported across the country, including rape, gang rape, custodial rape and incest, the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights was told on Thursday.
The meeting, presided over by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, reviewed the scale of gender-based violence in Pakistan and examined why thousands of cases registered every year fail to result in convictions.
Presenting official data compiled by the National Police Bureau, Secretary for Human Rights Abdul Khalique Shaikh informed the committee that 4,175 cases of rape were reported in 2024, along with 733 cases of gang rape, 24 cases of custodial rape and 24 cases of incest, highlighting the widespread and varied nature of sexual violence against women and girls.
The presentation explained that rape refers to forced sexual assault by an individual offender, while gang rape involves multiple perpetrators acting together. Custodial rape includes sexual violence committed by persons in positions of authority, such as police or jail staff, while incest refers to sexual assault by close family members.
Officials noted that custodial rape and incest remain significantly under-reported due to fear, stigma and family pressure.
The data showed that rape cases increased from 3,971 in 2021 to 4,391 in 2023 and remained above 4,000 in 2024, indicating a persistently high level of sexual violence. Gang rape showed a sharper upward trend, rising from 259 cases in 2021 to 733 in 2024, making it one of the fastest growing categories of sexual crime.
Beyond sexual violence, the committee was told that other forms of gender-based violence also remained widespread. Domestic violence cases involving physical harm rose to 3,385 in 2024, while domestic violence-related murders stood at 1,641. Honour killings continued to claim lives, with 405 cases reported during the year.
Non-physical abuse was also highlighted as a major concern. Psychological violence cases exceeded 27,000 in 2024, reflecting emotional abuse, threats, intimidation and coercive control, while harassment at workplaces continued to be reported despite existing legal protections.
Kidnapping cases surged to 23,001, with officials noting that many such cases intersect with forced marriages, sexual exploitation and violence against women and girls.
Despite the scale of reported violence, prosecution outcomes remained dismal. Punjab Police data shared with the committee showed that between January 2021 and November 2025, only 1,217 convictions were secured out of 28,066 concluded gender-based violence trials, keeping the conviction rate at just over four percent.
In rape cases alone, 21,217 trials were concluded in Punjab, but only 978 resulted in convictions. Conviction rates were even lower for domestic violence, kidnapping and sexual abuse, while acid attack cases recorded no convictions during the reported period.
A similar trend was reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where police data from January to October 2025 showed an overall conviction rate of under five percent in gender-based violence cases. No convictions were recorded in gang rape or physical torture cases during the period.
During the discussion, Deputy Inspector General of Police Ashfaq Ahmed said many cases collapse because aggrieved women are unable to bear social and familial pressure and often refuse to take a stand in court. He called for amendments to Qanoon-e-Shahadat, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Pakistan Penal Code to strengthen prosecutions and reduce reliance solely on survivor testimony.
DIG Ashfaq stressed the need for greater use of forensic and circumstantial evidence, arguing that timely DNA testing and evidence-based investigations could significantly improve conviction rates in rape and other gender-based violence cases.
Members of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights expressed concern that while reporting of gender-based violence has increased, survivors continue to face weak investigations, delayed forensic reports, prolonged trials and social stigma that undermine justice.
Secretary Abdul Khalique Shaikh told the committee that addressing gender-based violence would require coordinated reforms across policing, prosecution and courts, along with survivor-centred legal processes and stronger witness protection, warning that without systemic change, the vast majority of accused in GBV cases would continue to escape punishment.
Ends