CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN & RESPONSE OF POLICE

Abstract:
Crimes against women is a global issue of immense importance which is widely condemned yet
practiced. No society can claim outright that women are not deprived of their basic rights or
their fundamental freedom is not violated. At least one in every three women around the world
has been beaten, forced to have sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime (with the abuser
usually known to her).
Women do not form a homogenous group and nature of violence against women differs from
country-country or region-region, depending on the religious and sociocultural contexts and
transcend any boundaries. This means that women around the globe experience similar acts of
violence differently and that some groups of women are more vulnerable to violence than
others, e.g. in Pakistan.
The UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) defines violence
against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in,
physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts,
coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”
It is easier to legislate or change already existing laws than to change the practices and beliefs.
In many countries, like Pakistan, public silence and passivity of the justice system have ensured
that most of the incidents of crimes against women go underreported and in some areas, even
unreported. These attitudes need to be changed.
Police departments work with both the victims and the offenders and carry the responsibility of
judging witnesses and retrieving evidences. Their attitude and response towards everyone
involved has a significant impact not only on the proceedings of a crime reported but also on
the prevention of future violent acts and the protection of victims.
Police have been criticized heavily for not taking enough measures to protect women from
violence and also for having an indifferent attitude to the problem. Their practices need to be
enhanced by which police can provide counselling and legal assistance, ensure access to
shelters/safe-homes, improved collection and presentation of evidence and effectively
protecting the victims and witnesses. By this, police can help in bettering the lives of all women.
In Pakistan, legislation has been done to protect the rights of women but no check has been
placed on the judicial system which includes the courts as well as the police. The apathetic
attitude of the Pakistani police takes a devastating toll on women’s lives, on their families and
on society as a whole. Violence against women continues unabated and is too often either
covered up or is condoned.
Legislation sends out a clear message to the people that anyone found not abiding by the law
would be punished but the implementation rests with the larger judicial system and not just the
police. There needs to be cooperation, coordination and effective involvement of the courts,
communities, NGOs and civil society to protect women against violence. Such collective efforts
will also eliminate other forms of crimes and evil from the society.