ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s special committee on gender mainstreaming on Friday expressed concern over the increasing cases of violence against women and girls across the country.
Chaired by Dr Nafisa Shah, the committee condemned all forms of violence against women and girls and expressed solidarity with the victims and their families.
Taking serious notice of recent incidents, the committee called upon the relevant federal and provincial authorities to ensure swift, impartial and transparent investigations and timely prosecutions inaccordance with due process.
It called for action against officials responsible for negligence, delay, interference, failure to protect victims, or failure to preserve evidence.
A statement issued by the National Assembly said the committee members reiterated that special mechanisms should be devised to track the complete legal cycle of such cases and ensure punishment for the culprits.
They observed that merely registering cases or constituting inquiry committees was insufficient and that each case must be monitored from the initial complaint and investigation through prosecution, trial and final disposal.
The chairperson said thecriminal justice response must focus on convictions, supported by credible investigations, proper evidence collection and timely prosecution.
In this regard, the committee recommended that a serious case cell be established within the Islamabad police to monitor grave cases of violence against women and children and ensure continuous institutional follow-up throughout the legal process.
The committee also directed the secretary Ministry of Human Rights to coordinate with the IGs of police in all four provinces and the relevant authorities in Islamabad to develop a centraldashboard for tracking these cases.
The dashboard shouldrecord progress at every stage, including registration, investigation and preservation of evidence, prosecution, trial, and final disposal.
Members decided to obtain comprehensive reports on conviction rates in cases of violence against women.
It was observed that these reports would help identify institutional and legal gaps, assess the performance of investigation and prosecution systems, and support regular parliamentary monitoring.
The committee was briefed by the Ministry of Human Rights on progress made in the formulation of a national policy on the care economy, a process initiated by the ministry on the recommendation of thecommittee.
The committee welcomed the progress made and emphasised that the proposed policy should clearly define care work, assign institutional responsibilities, identify legislative and service-delivery gaps, recognise the economic value of unpaid care and domestic work and set out practical arrangements for implementation and monitoring.
It called for coordination with the Ministry of Finance, the Planning Commission and the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics to secure dedicated resourcesfor care services and conduct regular time-use surveys aligned with international standards.