Domestic Violence Bill reviewed

Domestic violence is a global menace, but a recent rise in such instances within Pakistan is raising quite a few concerns. With laws against domestic violence already in place in all the four provinces, the impunity with which such offences are being committed is gradually becoming very alarming.

This was the context in which a roundtable discussion was held at IPS on July 14, 2021, deliberating upon the Domestic Violence Bill draft as well as the points of concern being raised from various quarters. Led by IPS’ Senior Researcher Syed Nadeem Farhat and chaired by Chairman IPS Khalid Rahman, the discussion was attended by lawyers, members of civil society, academics and human rights activists hailing from different parts of Pakistan.

While emphasizing the need for a law that could create deterrence as well as punish perpetrators, it was felt during the discussion that the current scheme of interventions in such situation could be replaced with the one that is more indigenous in nature. The approach of such a law should be family-oriented while safeguarding the rights of the individuals alongside, the panelists stressed.

Farhat pointed out that the Family Court Act as well as the Punjab law were already offering such mechanisms. He stressed that while these already-in-place family laws offer ways to punish for domestic violence incidents, there still remains a room to refine these laws to avoid such instances in the future positively. The Punjab law though tries to be more specific in those aspects which are vague and more prone to misinterpretation in the bill, he added.

The speaker further stressed that the legislature not only needs to reflect on this bill in some depth but also consider revisiting the provincial laws and their implementation mechanisms.

Simultaneously, Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) too has a critical role to play in reviewing the bill and proposing such amendments that conform more to the constitutional framework, protects family, women, children and develops a culture of respect within the society, Farhat pronounced.

“There is a need to realize that the problem can neither be addressed through panel measures, nor any transplanted solutions in total denial of local peculiarities would be successful in improving the declining situation.”, remarked Rahman while concluding the sessions proceedings.