Domestic violence and dissolution of marriage in Pakistan:
Males who come
from homes where wife-abuse has taken place are far more likely to repeat the
pattern of violence with their wives, thereby perpetuating the vicious circle
of violence. Its implications for women are far more serious since they face
the threat daily within the very place which is supposed to be a sanctuary for
themRecommendations.1. Specific legislation on domestic Violence by husband or
in-laws should be enacted after further deliberations after dissolution
of marriage in Pakistan, clearly spelling out cruelty as a criminal
offense. Such a definition should include mental cruelty, continuing
harassment, threats, and simple injuries, as well as the more serious forms of
violence2. Immediate and clear directives should be issued to the police hat
all cases of domestic violence must be registered and prosecuted. There should
be a monitoring body to check on effective implementation of this directive, as
well as a media campaign to inform people about it.
Stove
Burnings: Over the past decade, murder or attempted
murder by stove burning has become more common indicative of increasing marital
violence after dissolution of marriage in Pakistan and largely affecting the
economically under-privileged these cases are rarely pursued, nor are there
adequate medical facilities for the treatment of Victims. Data collected from
just two hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad over three years since 1994
reveal 739 cases of burn victims which, according to the organization, does not
represent even a small percentage of the actual cases, since most of them are
not even brought to hospitals. A compilation of newspaper reports from Lahore
over six months in 1997 indicate an average of 15 cases a month, most of the
victims being young married women According to newspaper reports in Lahore,
there were 83 cases of women getting burnt between the January-April,
1997.While some cases may be due to defective oil stoves or other reasons, one
of the reports does indicate that most of the victims were young married women.
Victims of Stove Burning After Dissolution of Marriage:
A similar observation was made by a high
court judgment on the issue of stove burning after dissolution of marriage in
Pakistan, which found it strange that most of the victims of stove-burning were
daughters-in-law. The problem intensifies when cases are not reported by the
hospitals, the police resist recording FIRs, there are no proper investigative
techniques for circumstantial evidence in burn cases and cases get endlessly
delayed. There are only three burn centres in hospitals in the whole of
Pakistan, which are insufficient to deal with the scale of burn cases
prevalent. In Lahore alone, 60-70 burn victims are struggling for their lives
at any given time, at a survival rate of fewer than 10%. Many more are treated
as outpatients, yet Lahore has only a 10-bed burn unit. The cost of treatment
for serious burn cases is also massive, daily costs amounting to Rs. 7-8
thousand 1991 the Lahore High Court took suo moto notice of the phenomenon of
stove burnings and issued several directions in this regard.
Solve Out Cases for Stove Burning For Judgment:
These included the direction that: the
medical superintendent of the hospital where the victim of the oil stove is
brought should immediately arrange for recording of the statement of the victim
by any doctor on duty; that the doctor should send a copy of the statement to
the concerned SHO or deliver it to the police on its arrival that I the victim
is incapable of making a statement, the doctor should inform the concerned SHO
to record the statement of close relatives of victim in the hospital, and in
case of a married woman at least one statement each of her parents and in-laws,
in case of suspicious circumstances, an FIR should be recorded after
dissolution of marriage in Pakistan and an inquiry held, that the police should
take possession of the oil stove to get it examined by an expert concerning its
fitness and quality, and if found defective, a case should be registered
against the manufacturers/distributors of the oil stove, the health department
or in-charge should provide free medical aid and attention, and the provincial
government should arrange prompt payment of funeral and burial expenses since
families cooking on oil stoves do not have the necessary cash.
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