Pakistan to take a more preventative approach to addressing violence against women
Stakeholders from across the country unite to discuss and prioritize prevention strategies
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Islamabad, Pakistan — Marking an important step in shifting national efforts from responding to violence after it occurs to preventing it before it begins, a two-day National Workshop on the Prevention of Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) united 75 participants – including representatives from government, civil society, academia and UN agencies – to define priorities and actions that place prevention at the heart of Pakistan’s strategy to end violence against women and girls.
The workshop, organized by UN Women Pakistan, in collaboration with the Ministry of Human Rights and the Prevention Collaborative, was held from 20–21 May 2025 in Islamabad.
“Protecting women requires more than just reacting to violence – it demands a forward-looking approach. While Pakistan has taken significant steps in legislation and services, real change begins with prevention,” said Arif Leghari, PhD, Director at the Ministry of Human Rights.
The discussions highlighted local initiatives already underway in regions such as Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). With support from UN Women, the GB local government is advancing prevention by raising community awareness, challenging harmful social norms, and building the capacity of key stakeholders. In parallel, Women Community Centres are being established across the region to provide safe spaces where women and girls can access skills-training, economic opportunities and peer support.
“Prevention is the most powerful tool we have to end violence against women and girls. In Gilgit-Baltistan, we are investing in community-based, gender-responsive solutions to stop violence before it starts,” said Dilshad Bano, Minister of Social Welfare, Gilgit-Baltistan.
The workshop also drew on the RESPECT Women framework, a globally recognized set of evidence-based strategies developed by UN Women and WHO to guide the prevention of violence against women. Grounded in principles of equality and respect, the framework highlights seven key strategies, ranging from strengthening relationship skills to transforming harmful norms, that have been shown to reduce violence when implemented holistically. The training used this model to encourage more comprehensive and survivor-centred approaches within the justice system.
The event is part of UN Women’s broader work to promote gender-transformative and evidence-based approaches to prevention, building momentum for long-term, sustainable change. Through dialogue and group exercises, participants explored both global frameworks and local practices, identifying opportunities to strengthen community-based solutions and cross-sectoral coordination.
“Prevention is critical. It not only provides a fundamental safeguard for women against all forms of violence, but also serves as a cost-effective strategy. Violence against women carries a heavy toll, not just on individuals and families but on society as a whole. A society cannot thrive if women are unsafe,” said Farzana Bari, feminist and human rights activist.
“This workshop marked a shift in how we approach violence against women and girls. We must move beyond reaction and response and instead focus on transforming the root causes – inequality, exclusion and harmful gender norms- through evidence-informed prevention,” said Jamshed Kazi, UN Women Country Representative in Pakistan.
By convening this national conversation, Pakistan is taking a meaningful step towards embedding prevention into policy, practice and community efforts.
The workshop concluded with a strong sense of solidarity among government, civil society and development partners, and a shared commitment to advancing prevention.
It was followed by a roundtable that brought together key stakeholders, including the Secretary of the National Commission on the Status of Women, to begin shaping joint action and explore pathways towards a more coordinated national approach.
Participants expressed interest in building a prevention roadmap grounded in global evidence and local realities, and called for keeping prevention at the centre of efforts to achieve gender equality and end violence.
The workshop received technical support from UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, through a partnership with the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), focusing on ending and preventing violence against women.