Data on VAWG

Data collection on Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) in Pakistan has not been an area which has been explored or prioritized by the State. There is a clear recognition of the lack of sufficient data as a whole in Pakistan. This is evidenced by the fact that a population census is due to be conducted every 10 years and was due to be conducted in 2009, but has yet to be conducted.

The importance of data collection on VAWG has been emphasized by civil society for a number of years.

The issue of lack of data was also raised by the Committee in its Concluding Observations on the Government of Pakistan’s First, Second and Third Combined Periodic Report to the CEDAW Committee in 2007.

It is only recently that the State has taken notice of demand for gender disaggregated data by civil society and the international community resulting in a number of surveys providing gender disaggregated data such as national nutrition survey. Additionally, the Election Commission of Pakistan has announced its intention to provide gender disaggregated voter data post-Election 2013.

SAARC GENDER INFORMATION BASE

During the 10th SAARC Summit held at Colombo (July 1998), SAARC Member States endorsed the need for a gender disaggregated database on the basis of data provided by Member States to catalyze the formulation of national and regional policies and programs with regards to women and the girl child.

The focus of the SAARC Gender Information Base (SGIB) is to develop a regional resource database (a one stop shop for gender data) by collecting, processing and analyzing all relevant gender-related information in the region specifically on three prioritized themes; Violence against Women, Health including HIV & Aids and Feminization of Poverty.

The SGIB Desk in Pakistan has been operational since 2007 with stakeholders providing support in identification of data sources and its gathering. Data has so far been uploaded against seven out of fifteen prioritized indicators which include economic participation, economic security, incidences of poverty, assets in the area of feminization of poverty, health status and reproductive health, and, incidences and types of violence against women.

Two committees have been established for data appraisal and validation, namely the National Committee and the Validation Committee.

SGIB Prioritized Indicators for Pakistan

The focus of the SAARC Gender Information Base (SGIB) is to develop a regional resource database (a one stop shop for gender data) by collecting, processing and analyzing all relevant gender-related information in the region specifically on three prioritized themes; Violence against Women, Health including HIV & Aids and Feminization of Poverty.

The following indicators have been prioritized in consultation with the National Committee Members:

Presently data on VAWG is available from different sources in Pakistan, and includes:

• Discussion Paper on Data Collection on Violence against Women: Analysis and Standardization
• Annual Data on VAW by Aurat Foundation (AF)
• Annual Reports and Data on VAW by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)