PAKISTAN: Girls Vulnerable to Gender-based Violence in Pakistan

The worst natural disaster in Pakistan's history has created new dangers for the girls and women who make up much of the 20 million victims of the country's recent floods.

In a media release yesterday, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) warned that natural disasters tend to create breakdowns in important social networks between families, villages and communities. These networks normally function to protect girls and women. But, tradition disintigrates temporarily in crisis situations when girls are sleeping in open spaces, are separated from their families, and forced to walk long distances alone in search of food, water and fuel.

Yet, gender is often overlooked in such situations of armed conflict and natural disasters, given the complexity and diversity of the problems that humanitarian aid workers must address with limited staff and resources.

The UNFPA has affirmed that “there is a great need to recognize that gender-based violence can, and very often does, occur in these situations [in order] to build survivor-centred response services.”

Addressing this issue is a challenge. As in most countries, sexual and gender-based violence are sensitive subjects. In many countries, stigmatization can ostracize women who have been the victims of rape from their communities. Social norms must be addressed with care in order to help empower women and girls.

Something that will help in improving the human rights of girls, is the setting up of a national Ombudsman for Children in Pakistan. The Ombudsman will take complaints and act on child rights violations to improve the safety and welfare of the country's children.

With Thursday the 25 of November being the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, it came to light that at least 1,195 Pakistani women were murdered, while 98 others murdered after rape in the past year. Meanwhile, a report by Sahil, an non-governmental organization in Pakistan, found that 3.3 million of the children's country are sexually abused—a 9.4% increase from 2008. According to the report, 68% of the victims were girls, with the most vulnerable groups being 11-15 years old.

Gender-based violence against girls and women at all ages constitutes a persistent challenge for human rights. But, it is not the only challenge they face. Social inequities mean that girls are also more likely to be malnourished.

Dr. Khaled Navaz, the Thatta district's Deputy District Health Officer explained that “in our society, males are given higher priority than females, so we see many more malnourished girls than boys.”

Thatta is in Pakistan's southern Sindh province. Even before the floods, children living in Sindh were incredibly vulnerable to malnutrition.

The floods in Pakistan that were at their most catastrophic this past July killed nearly 2,000 people. Relief and reconstruction efforts are ongoing, as the floods caused roughly $9.7 billion in damages to crops, livestock, infrastructure and homes.