Pakistan Records 3,172 Gender-Based Violence Cases in First Half of 2026: Sahil Report

Sahil has released its six-month report documenting gender-based violence across Pakistan, stating that since 2024, the organization has been working to stop gender-based violence and make communities safer, fairer, and more just.

The report is based on information collected from different national and regional newspapers across all four provinces, as well as Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit Baltistan (GB).

According to the report, Sahil documented a total of 3,172 cases of gender-based violence across Pakistan during the first half of 2026. Among these, 18 cases involved transgender persons.

The report recorded 644 murder cases, 514 torture cases, 462 abduction cases, 363 suicide cases, 280 rape cases, 175 injury cases, 132 honour killing cases, and 21 cases in other crime categories, including harassment, gang rape, and pornography.

In terms of age, 334 cases involved victims in the 21–30 years age group, 306 cases were reported in the 11–20 years age group, and 120 cases involved victims aged 31–40 years. The report noted that the age of the victims was not mentioned in 71% of the cases.

Regarding the alleged abusers, the report stated that 27% were acquaintances, 24% were strangers, 13% were husbands, while in 20% of the cases the abusers were not identified.

According to the report, 54% of the gender-based violence cases occurred in the victims’ own homes, while 12% took place at the abusers’ houses, making these the two most common locations for such incidents.

Province-wise, 74% of the reported cases were from Punjab, followed by 17% from Sindh. The remaining cases were reported from other regions, including 6% from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 3% from Balochistan, ICT, AJK, and GB.

The report further stated that 76% of all reported cases were registered with the police, the registration status was not mentioned in 23% of the cases, and 1% of the cases were not registered with the police.