Each day violent conflict is becoming more serious and
pervasive in Pakistan. Praccally
everyone has had some
experience of violent conflict either directly or indirectly
through experiences of friends and family or exposure to
th
graphic reports in the media. Pakistan is ranked 157 out of
162 countries on the Global Peace Index (Vision of Humanity,
2013). According to the Global Terrorism Index, no other
country, aside from Iraq, has been as affected by terrorism as
Pakistan (Instute
for Economics and Peace, 2012). Data
suggests that at least 50,000 people have died including
18,000 civilians over the past decade due to terrorism (South
Asia Terrorism Portal, 2014). There is also a sustained
increase in violent crimes such as murder, aempted
murder
and kidnapping; with kidnappings more than doubling over
the last ten years (Pakistan Bureau of Stascs,
2013).
Homes and schools are generally thought to be safe places.
In Pakistan, however, this is not the case. Women suffer high
levels of violence inside their homes. According to the
Naonal
Instute
of Populaon
Studies (2013), one third of
married women suffer domesc
abuse both physical and
psychological: including severe beangs,
taunts and even
rape. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has
expressed concern over the increasing incidence of violence
against women that take the form of honour killings, gang
rapes, and acid aacks
(2013). Girls and young women are
oen
subjected to physical violence for insisng
they be sent
to school or allowed to connue
their schooling. There is
evidence to suggest that there is a high incidence of bullying
and corporal punishment (Dean, 2008 a & b). Severe cases of
corporal punishment as well as incidences of sexual abuse
including rape in schools are regularly reported in the press.
As a result of the high incidence of violent conflict in the
society, there is increasing tolerance for the use of violence
in conflict situaons
and violent behavior is becoming
accepted and normalized. A culture of violence is developing
and could become entrenched as violent conflict escalates
and the few mechanisms to diffuse conflict peacefully are
weakened.