Pakistan: Thousands of missing women, cases not pursued to logical ends

Lahore [Pakistan], March 1 : Nearly 41,000 women went missing from the Pakistani province of Punjab in the last five years, a report said on Tuesday.
A report by the Punjab police showed that around 41,000 women were reported as missing in the last five years, with a staggering 3571 of them unrecovered to this day, an editorial in the Daily Times informed.
Although the police forces claimed to have arrested more than 53,000 people in such cases, there was no information if the cases were pursued to the logical conclusion.
The extent of crimes against women in Pakistan is revealed by the fact that an investigation ordered by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in the abduction case of a girl named Sobia led to the discovery of 20 unidentified bodies.
"Danger is not on its way anymore, it has pounded down the front door and is strolling in our yard," the editorial said.
The report further asserted that a hyperactive prostitution racket and the rampant problem of sexual predators are the principal reasons that fuel the cycle of abductions. Added is the fact that the law enforcement agencies are lax in investigations of cases that are reported.
The patriarchal society of Pakistan also makes the police blame the victim in many cases. A common explanation for abduction given is that the girls were taken away by their partners on the pretext of marriage.
"Sadly, rape culture is predominant in Pakistan, one that blames the victims of sexual assault and frames all men as naturally violent. Many are working to try to change this discourse, but it is an uphill battle," said Nida Kirmani, a professor at Lahore University of Management Sciences was quoted as saying by The News International.
The editorial comes when Pakistan has witnessed four horrific incidents against women in different parts of the country within a week, suggesting a serious rise in crime against women.