“Over 4,000 cases of crimes against women were reported in Pakistan last year - more than double the figure in 2006. But rights organizations say this is just the tip of the iceberg and many more violations go unreported or are hushed up. The reported cases in 2006 stood at 1,821.
In 2006, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) reported, a woman was raped every two hours and gang-raped every eight hours.
According to its recent report, in 2007 there were 4,276 cases of reported abuses. Of this, 636 women were victims of honor killing, 731 were raped and 736 kidnapped.
Society is totally brutalized and wherever crime pays it flourishes. The state’s inability to maintain law and order has made women and marginalized groups more vulnerable. So women under the fear of domestic torture or victims of customs & social extremisms take shelters in officially established ‘Darul-Amans’ where they feel themselves safe for the time being & can proceed with their cases legally or go back homes after some sort of settlements”
On 24.11.2009, an emed health team under the leadership of Vice President, Assistant Professor Dr Humaira Arshad, visited Darul-Aman Faisalabad to talk to the residents on health & medico-legal issues. Team comprised of Assistant Superintendent District Jail Zaib-un-Nisa, Social Welfare Officer Eyesha Jamil and Social Medical Officers Zahida Naz & Rukhsana Tabassum.
Superintendent Darul-Aman Mrs Khalida Rafiq received the team & briefed on the structure & working of Darul-Aman which is supervised by a Grade-17 government officer and has 8 other staff members. She told that previously only one Darul-Aman in Faisalabad was present in whole division but now other districts including Toba Tek Singh, Chiniot & Jhang also have their own Darul-Amans so load on this centre is reduced. She further told that resident women of this centre are independent in their daily routines as far as they are inside the centre. They make their own menus for meals & administer kitchen & food stores of the centre. They are provided with a PTCL phone but are not allowed to keep mobile phones. No judicial orders are needed to have an admission in the centre & any woman can request herself for the shelter in the centre.
Dr Humaira Arshad presented emed with reference to its vision, objectives & health awareness activities. In addition she stressed on the need of building a coordinated chain of women jail and Darul-aman officials, lady doctors conducting medico-legal examinations of the victims of women crime & the lawyers dealing such cases.
A meeting of the health team was arranged with the residents of the centre in which women of all ages communicated their health & medico-legal issues & Dr Humaira Arshad advised them technically and medically. Psychologist of Darul-Aman Sadia Iqbal communicated the psychological problems of the residents & briefed on her counseling sessions with them.
In the end, emed health team visited the centre & appreciated the efforts of the Superintendent & her staff members that they are under taking for the accommodation, teaching & other healthy activities for the residents. On the request of the Superintendent, Dr Humaira Arshad promised to arrange regular visits of emed lady doctors to Darul-Aman Faisalabad, Pakistan.