Pakistan is moving to finalize a long-awaited national policy aimed at preventing violence against women and girls, the law ministry said on Monday after a meeting between Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and a senior UN Women official.
The draft National Policy on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG), developed with technical support from UN Women, seeks to create a nationwide framework to strengthen prevention, protection and response mechanisms for gender-based violence. While Pakistan has enacted a range of federal and provincial laws addressing issues such as workplace harassment, domestic violence and rape, the country does not yet have a national policy dedicated to tackling violence against women and girls. According to UN Women, the draft policy has been awaiting official approval since last year.
The policy comes as Pakistan continues to grapple with high levels of gender-based violence, including so-called honor killings, domestic abuse and sexual violence. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Human Rights and UN Women convened a national consultation on preventing femicide and gender-related killings, saying stronger coordination, accountability and evidence-based policymaking were needed to better protect women and girls.
The law ministry said the draft policy was reviewed during a meeting between Tarar and Mohammad Naciri, chief of staff to the executive director of UN Women.
“The Minister emphasized the Government’s commitment to finalizing a comprehensive national policy framework to strengthen prevention, protection, and response mechanisms for women and girls,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the two sides also discussed strengthening Pakistan’s gender data systems to support evidence-based policymaking and improve reporting under international commitments, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
They also explored cooperation on women’s economic empowerment, digital inclusion and the responsible use of artificial intelligence, including efforts to address technology-facilitated violence against women and girls.