Recommendation to establish a cell in Islamabad police for monitoring serious cases, directive to create a central dashboard for cases of violence against women.
Islamabad (Izhaar Khan Niazi) The Parliamentary Special Committee on Gender Affairs has expressed serious concern over the rising incidents of violence against women and girls across the country, directing all relevant federal and provincial institutions to ensure immediate justice for affected women and to guarantee transparent and impartial investigations of cases.
The 27th meeting of the Special Committee on Gender Affairs, chaired by Dr. Nafisa Shah, MNA, was held in the Parliament House, where a detailed review of the increasing incidents of violence against women and girls was conducted. The committee strongly condemned all forms of violence against women and girls and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.
The committee urged relevant federal and provincial authorities to ensure swift, impartial, and transparent investigations of such cases and timely prosecution in accordance with legal requirements. The committee also recommended action against officials who exhibit negligence, delay, interference, fail to provide protection to victims, or do not preserve evidence.
The committee stated that merely registering a case or forming an investigative committee is not sufficient; continuous monitoring should occur from the registration of each complaint to investigation, evidence preservation, prosecution, court proceedings, and final decisions. Chairperson Dr. Nafisa Shah emphasized that the primary objective of the criminal justice system should be to ensure punishment for offenders, which requires reliable investigations, accurate evidence collection, and timely prosecution.
The committee recommended the establishment of a special cell in Islamabad police to monitor serious cases of violence against women and children, ensuring institutional coordination and continuous follow-up at every stage of legal proceedings.
The committee directed the Secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights to coordinate with the police chiefs of all four provinces and relevant authorities in Islamabad to prepare a central dashboard for monitoring cases of violence against women. The dashboard should record progress at every stage of legal proceedings, including case registration, investigation, evidence preservation, prosecution, trial, and final decisions.
The committee also decided to request comprehensive reports regarding the conviction rates in cases of violence against women. According to the committee, these reports will help identify institutional and legal shortcomings in the investigation and prosecution system, assess the performance of relevant institutions, and aid in parliamentary oversight.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Human Rights briefed the committee on the progress made in preparing a national policy related to the care economy. The committee welcomed the progress, stating that the proposed policy should clearly cover all sectors, including care for children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, community-level care, and unpaid domestic care.
The committee also emphasized effective communication with the Ministry of Finance, Planning Commission, and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, allocation of necessary resources for care services, and conducting regular time-use surveys in accordance with international standards.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the committee reaffirmed its commitment to ending impunity in cases of gender-based violence, strengthening accountability throughout the entire legal process of cases, and formulating a comprehensive national policy for Pakistan’s care economy.