Laws Against Domestic Violence in Pakistan are Insufficient to Protect Victims of Abuse

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Pakistan is a developing country that recently (roughly fifty years ago) developed its democratic systems. The current legislature has limited power and competes with parallel systems of court. Pakistan’s unique socio-cultural frameworks need to be understood in order to ensure that liberty and justice are available to all members of society. It is in this respect that it is important to evaluate the current system of laws protecting the rights of the subjugated in a patriarchal society, therefore, the laws on domestic abuse and violence need to be understood and evaluated in attempts to make Pakistan a fairer society.

The Penal code of Pakistan does not have a separate subheading detailing and identifying domestic crimes and the punishment of such crimes. Although domestic violence is not specifically recognized, some elements of domestic abuse and violence are covered within different subheadings of the Pakistani Penal code. For instance, the laws recognize their role in protecting individuals from real andor perceived emotional, psychological, mental, physical andor economic abuse and harm. Therefore, laws from the subheading of harms against the human body can be extended to apply to cases of physical domestic abuse. ( Pakistani Law Firm, 2012).

While it is important to acknowledge that laws from other categories can be applied to cases of domestic crimes, it is essential to note that the lack of a specific category leads to many problems. It is of vital significance to note that all laws and their punishments are derived from the socio-economic and cultural framework of the society the laws are constructed to cater to, this is the reason that such different punishments exist in different countries for the same sort of cr...

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... such crimes.

In conclusion, it can be seen that the current state of laws is unable to aid victims and the creation of the separate category of law will hold numerous advantages of quicker detection and evaluation of cases. Moreover, it will shed light on topics that are currently not discussed and will create room for the victims to be able to identify their particular abuse.

Works Cited

Pakistani Law Firm ( 2012, April 23). Laws against domestic violence to women in Pakistan. Retreived April 21, 2014, from http://pakistanilaws.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/lawas-against-violence-in-pakistan/
Ajmal, U. (2012, April 25). Domestic Violence.Retrieved April 21.2014,from http://www.dawn.com/news/713192/domestic-violence-2/print.
Pakistan Penal Code (Act XLV of 1860). Retrieved April 21,2014 from http://www.pakistani.org/Pakistan/legislation/1860/actxlvof1860/html.

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