A report has showed that cases of violence against women, including rape, in Pakistan were doubled in the last six months of 2020 as compared to the first six months of the year. Similarly, the number of child abuse cases reported were three times more in the second half compared to the first half of 2020, reports The News International.

The report also pointed out that the province of Punjab has reported maximum cases of child abuse followed by Sindh and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The alarming statistics were revealed on Monday in a report titled “Tracking Numbers: State of Violence Against Women and Children in Pakistan” launched on the occasion of International Women Day by Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), the newspaper reported.

It is a sequel to an earlier report published in July 2020 by SSDO and attempts to present a holistic analysis of the state of women and children and the violations of their civic rights in Pakistan, highlighting their risks to safety and security issues, Executive Director SSDO Syed Kausar Abbas while presenting the report on International Women Day, told the newspaper.

“There is a need of serious efforts by governments at all levels to ensure the implementation of laws related to the protection of women and children in the country,” he said, adding the local government institutions and the police must play a proactive role in curbing the menace of violations of rights.

(IBNS)