Social Practices Fostering Crime Against Women and the Law in Pakistan
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Abstract
This paper focuses on discriminatory social practices fostering crime against women and the corresponding laws in Pakistan. Based on analysis of both primary and secondary data, it gives a picture of prevailing crimes against women in Pakistani society and explores the evil social practices that foster these crimes. Pakistani laws are also found lacking to curb different forms of violence against women in past. The overall patriarchal social arrangement with its male domination, cultural norms, women’s segregation in private sphere of home, unfavorable attitude of law enforcing agencies, customary to not report crime against women to police, lack of women’s education and political participation are considered as reasons for persistence of anti women social practices and discriminatory laws. Recent increased in women’s participation in political forums and the law amendments done to protect women are considered as harbinger of change. The paper also provides recommendations to curb crime against women in Pakistan.