Causes of Violence Against Women in Khyber Pukhtunkhwa

Humaira Nosheen & Prof. Dr. Sarah Safdar

Abstract
Violence against women is a worldwide phenomenon as it affects their lives in socioeconomic and other spheres of life. This violence is observable on the part of both close and
distant people, causing physical, psychological, social and emotional discomforts to them.
Sometimes, it cuts across cultural and religious barriers leading to reduce women’s access to
their due rights.
In general, violence includes rape, gang rape, kidnapping, torture, honour killing, handing
over of females to settle down disputes in the form of swara/vanni marriage, no free choice of
marriage, dowry death, stove burning, burying alive, public humiliation by stripping the
women naked in public, parading through the streets to take revenge from the family,
snatching of children, custodial violence, denial of property, sexual harassment, trafficking
for forced labour and sex, forced and child marriage, acid throwing, domestic violence,
teasing in streets, obscene phone calls and other different kinds of sexual abuse in conflict
situation. The present study reveals the existence of psychological worries, socio-economic
exploitation and physical torture in the target area.
It is pertinent to mention that women in Pakhtun society are becoming violent in view of
changes to their economic, employment, educational, and political status.

Keywords: Violence, Swara/Vanni, Marriage, Dowry Death and Changing Women’s Behavior