Violence against women and children in Pakistan is one of the major social and public health problems. Death threats, rape, acid attack, harassment, and even murder; women of Pakistan are subjected to violence in its worst form.
The figures in this regard are also spine-chilling as the country ranks 164 out of 167 countries included in the world gender index. A staggering 32 percent of women have experienced physical violence in Pakistan. Some 40 percent of married women have suffered from spousal abuse at some point in their life.
Yet these statistics do not accurately represent the actual picture. In reality, one in two Pakistani women, who have experienced violence, never sought help or told anyone about the violence they suffered from.
Where most women still lack access to police, justice, and social support, the federal capital of Islamabad has achieved a milestone towards safeguarding women and children. Recently, a Gender Protection Unit has been established in Islamabad, set up particularly for women. The need of the hour initiative is a proactive move towards safeguarding women and children.
The Gender Protection Unit is a dedicated division of the Islamabad Police, which was set up in Islamabad in the last week of May. It has been designed exclusively to handle cases related to gender violence, domestic and child abuse, and harassment.
In case of any complaint regarding violence against women or girls, the Gender Protection Unit of Islamabad Police can be called on the 8090 helplines and a police team is immediately dispatched for help. 
The unit is a success just in a few weeks and the performance of the team is remarkable. So far, the unit has received 131 complaints, of which 46 have been resolved.
According to SSP Operations Mustafa Tanveer, before setting up the unit, the police had to identify important issues and aspects that needed to be addressed.
“We had taken a number of other steps, but incidents of sexual and domestic violence couldn’t be identified as they should have been. So we set up this special desk with female staff so that women do not hesitate to state their problem,” SSP Mustafa said.
A women’s police station is also established by the Gender Protection Unit. Upon receiving a complaint, a competent female officer sees the complainant and reviews the matter while standby personnel is also called if required.
To ease the process of complaining, complaints can also be made through social media in addition to phone and personal presence.
Some of the complaints received by the unit, although soul-shaking, are worth mentioning. A woman reported by phone that her husband abused her, cut her hair, and forced her into prostitution. Upon refusing, she was tied up, beaten with an iron rod, and forced to beg on the roads.
After the incident was reported, a team of female officers was sent to the woman. According to SSP Mustafa Tanveer, after a medical inspection of the woman, her husband was taken into custody. 
“Now the woman has also registered an FIR in the regular women’s police station. The medical report proved that the accused had beaten his wife’s body and nose with an iron rod,” he said.
In addition to female police, the gender protection desk also includes lady doctors, female lawyers, and psychologists. The presence of medical staff, legal experts, and psychiatrists at the scene can help resolve the problem with legal, medical or psychological advice. 
According to a spokesperson of Islamabad Police, the average response time of this unit is five minutes. The special desk has been formulated with a broader perspective of helping every persecuted individual. Not only women, but children and transgender people also fall under the purview of the unit.
As per the one-month performance report of this special unit, 65 complaints were filed through the phone while 77 were walk-in complaints. The action was sought against the accused in 55 of the walk-in complaints.
Moreover, 46 out of 131 complaints have been resolved within a month while 28 have been forwarded to the concerned agencies. Some were resolved through legal advice, while 43 are still in the process of being resolved.
As a future strategy, the unit plans to hold awareness lectures in educational institutes which will encourage victims to contact without hesitation. In addition, women’s welfare organizations will be included in the campaign.
It is a little too early to account for the unit for a reduction in incidents of sexual and domestic violence. Still, the one and a half month performance of the unit is satisfactory. People across the country have appreciated the initiative. Women finally have someone to look upon and break the chains of violence which have kept them oppressed for decades.
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