ISLAMABAD: A new report by international human rights organization Equality Now has revealed that Pakistan’s conviction rate in sexual violence cases remains as low as 0.5 percent, highlighting serious gaps between legislative progress and on-ground implementation of justice.
Titled “Legal Response to Sexual Violence in Pakistan: Challenges in Enforcement and Access to Justice,” the report acknowledges that Pakistan has expanded its legal framework in recent years, particularly by defining rape on the basis of absence of consent. However, it concludes that survivors continue to face systemic failures at nearly every stage of the justice process, from reporting to prosecution.
The findings indicate that the key obstacles are not legal deficiencies but weak enforcement, prolonged delays, and the persistence of illegal out-of-court settlements. Despite the legal shift away from requiring proof of physical resistance, police and prosecutors often continue to demand evidence of injury, reflecting deeply entrenched and outdated attitudes.
The report also points to widespread victim-blaming practices. Defence lawyers frequently attempt to discredit survivors by referencing their past sexual history or perceived “character,” even though such arguments are inadmissible under current law. Additionally, the continued documentation of “virginity status” by Women Medico-Legal Officers (WMLOs) underscores enduring social biases that have no bearing on determining sexual assault.
According to the report, marginalized groups bear the brunt of these systemic shortcomings. Women and girls from minority communities, particularly Christian and Hindu backgrounds, are said to face increased risks of abduction and forced religious conversion disguised as marriage. Similarly, women with disabilities are reported to be three times more likely to experience sexual violence, yet encounter greater challenges in accessing justice.
While the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act, 2021 introduced measures such as Anti-Rape Crisis Cells and mandatory legal aid, the report notes that these services remain largely inaccessible outside major urban centres. This has limited the law’s effectiveness in providing timely support to survivors.
Jacqui Hunt of Equality Now stated that although Pakistan has taken important legislative steps, the focus must now shift to implementation through improved resources, training, and accountability mechanisms. Lawyer and report author Sahar Bandial emphasized that the justice process itself often becomes retraumatizing for survivors, discouraging them from pursuing cases.
The report calls for urgent reforms, including the explicit criminalization of marital rape and incest, raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 across all provinces, and strengthening forensic infrastructure, particularly in DNA evidence collection. It also stresses the need for judicial oversight to ensure that survivor testimony is not undermined by unnecessary demands for physical corroboration.
Advocates warn that without meaningful changes in the practices of law enforcement agencies and courts, Pakistan’s progressive legal framework will remain ineffective in delivering justice to survivors of sexual violence.
