Karachi – Despite being the first province to enact the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act in 2013, Sindh continues to face serious challenges in protecting survivors, with weak implementation, underreporting, and poor institutional coordination persisting across the province.
This was highlighted during a Provincial Policy Dialogue organized by the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW) in collaboration with the Legal Aid Society (LAS) under the Aawaz II Programme, implemented by CARE International with support from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), held in Karachi.
The dialogue brought together key policymakers, parliamentarians, government officials, civil society actors, and representatives of marginalized communities.
Participants stressed that while the law provides a comprehensive framework, survivors still face barriers in reporting, accessing protection mechanisms, and navigating weak referral systems. Evidence from Aawaz II engagements highlighted low legal awareness in rural areas, stigma and fear preventing reporting, weak coordination among institutions, and limited survivor-centered services—reflecting broader implementation gaps that continue to undermine the law’s effectiveness.
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A policy paper titled “Implementing the Sindh Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act, 2013: From Law to Protection” outlined urgent reforms, including legislative amendments, stronger institutional coordination, improved FIR procedures, better referral systems, capacity-building of justice actors, and increased investment in protection services.
Advocate Maliha Zia from Legal Aid Society presented a Domestic Violence Protection Blueprint, proposing strengthened One-Stop Protection Centres, improved policing systems, functional district protection mechanisms, and coordinated service delivery.
Chairperson SCSW, Ms. Rozina Aman Brohi, said the law has not been implemented “in its true spirit” over the past 13 years and called for reforms, emphasizing expansion of protection centres, strengthening women police stations, increasing budgets for awareness, and empowering rural women.
In her concluding remarks, Provincial Minister Shaheen Sher Ali underscored that legal awareness is not reaching rural and marginalized communities, particularly due to the absence of laws in Urdu and Sindhi. She proposed using Lady Health Workers for door-to-door awareness and emphasized that empowering girls remains key to preventing domestic violence.
The dialogue concluded with a renewed commitment to strengthen coordination, accountability, and survivor-centered responses across Sindh.
