Every two hours a woman is raped

Even so, as a result of the state's complicity, access to justice remains extremely limited for most female victims. Especially in cases where perpetrators are members of influential political groups, even those courageous enough to report their crimes often do so at the risk of their own lives and that of their families. The failure of the judicial system and political corruption is taking a long-lasting toll on the community, with more and more victims giving up on the system as a whole, and allowing cases of violence to go unreported. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, it is estimated that a woman is raped every two hours, a gang rape occurs every eight hours, and about 1000 women die annually in honor killings. The newly made Women's Protection Act has failed to deter acts of violence against women who continue to fall victim to honor killings.

Since the 'War on Terror' started at the end of 2001, acts of discrimination and violence against women have increased. According to reports, acts of violence against women in 2005 immediately following the 'War on Terror' increased three hundred-fold as compared to previous years. As such, the main victims of the 'War on Terror' are the women of Pakistan. According to press reports and reports collected from different women's organizations, since 9/11 and the 'War on Terror,' 72,162 cases of violence against women were reported.

Incidences of violence against women take many forms. In one recent case, the ritual abuse and naked humiliation of three women cast a deeper shame on the justice system that supported it. Please see Urgent Appeal, The ritual abuse and naked humiliation of three women casts a deeper shame on the justice system that supported it, http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2009/3135/

Acid Throwing:

Acid throwing has recently come under international media scrutiny. This horrifying form of violence against women involves throwing acid, usually sulphuric acid, on women with the malicious intent to permanently disfigure her face and body features. The incidence of acid attacks is reflective of the misogynistic values that are inextricably intertwined into social systems where acts of disagreement by women can invite morbid vengeance. In one case, Maria Shah, a health worker from Shikarpur, was burnt from her face down to her thighs for refusing to marry the rickshaw driver who had been hired by her family to take her to school. National Assembly Speaker Fehmida Mirza enquired after her health, and noted that the government would bear the expenditure of Shah's treatment. Maria Shah died on February 25th 2009. Aslam Sanjrani, a rickshaw driver, threw acid on the 25-year old Maria Shah, who was a lady health worker from Shikarpur, for spurning his marriage proposal.

It would also be useful to look at Bangladesh, where they passed two laws (in 2002). The Acid Crime Prevention Act stipulates the death sentence as a maximum penalty for an assault. Experts say that throwing acid (usually sulphuric acid) is one of the most horrifying forms of gender-based violence. There is always a malicious intent to take revenge, disfigure and harm the person. It has long-lasting physical and psychological consequences say those working with survivors of such attacks.

There are no countrywide statistics to show if the crime has escalated since most go unreported or at times the police refuse to register an FIR. Ms Bokhari has recorded some 7,900 cases from 1994 to 2006. "But this is just the tip of the iceberg and only in the 200-mile radius of Islamabad." The gap in her statistics from 2006 to 2008 was not because the practice dropped for two years but because Shahnaz learnt that hospitals were asked not to admit burn victims.