Number of abused women in Faisalabad turning to shelter homes higher in 2018

FAISALABAD: A concerning report indicates that the number of women who turned to shelter homes here in the city over abuse by their in-laws and husbands rose this year as opposed to 2017.

To compare, the number of women who turned up at Dar-ul-Aman (the Social Welfare Department's Women Shelter Homes) in Faisalabad for their safety was 15 percent more in 2018, compared to 2017.

The abuse they endured at their homes included physical and/or mental.

According to Muneeba Kashif, the in-charge of the Dar-ul-Aman, more than 700 women arrived at the facility to escape abuse and torture at their homes. These women were accompanied by almost 200 children.

Of these 700 women, 400 were kicked out of their homes by either in-laws or husbands over domestic disputes. All of these women had experienced stress and dealt with family issues, eventually ending up wishing for a divorce.

Other reasons included distant and callousness behaviour and disregard on the husband's part as well as social and family issues.

One of the affected women explained that her parents brought her up with care but forced her into marriage, which resulted in her having to compromise and give birth to four children.

"My husband lost one of our children to gambling and despite the fact that we brought up the three remaining children, he still misbehaves with me a lot," she said.

The report, which, in turn, also points out to domestic disputes and violence towards women at the hands of their partners, shows significant discriminatory behaviour towards women, including but not limited to, forced marriages.