Behind the staggering reality of 9,690 reported rape cases in 2022 lies an even more harrowing truth, where these figures represent merely a fraction of a silent epidemic plaguing Pakistan, with estimates suggesting the actual number could be over five times higher.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Pakistan recorded 9,690 reported cases of rape and sexual assault nationwide according to HRCP data.
- Nationwide rape cases reported to police in 2021 totaled 6,068 as per official FIRs tracked by HRCP.
- In 2020, 5,521 rape incidents were registered across Pakistan amid COVID lockdowns per government stats.
- Punjab province recorded 3,213 rape cases in 2021, highest nationally.
- Sindh had 1,456 rape FIRs in 2022 per provincial police.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa logged 1,123 rape cases in 2022.
- 72% of rape victims in Pakistan are female aged 12-18 per Sahil 2022 report.
- 82% of documented rape cases involve children under 18 years old nationwide.
- 65% of victims are girls under 14 in child sexual abuse stats overlapping rape.
- Conviction rate for rape cases stands at 0.2% nationally in 2022.
- Only 1 in 100 rape FIRs leads to conviction per HRCP analysis.
- 80% of rape cases dismissed pre-trial due to lack of evidence.
- Rape cases rose 22% from 2020 to 2022 post-COVID.
- Child rape cases increased 15% yearly since 2018 per Sahil.
- Post-2018 Zainab case, national reports up 30%.
Pakistan faces a severe and rising epidemic of rape, especially against children.
Case Outcomes
- Conviction rate for rape cases stands at 0.2% nationally in 2022.
- Only 1 in 100 rape FIRs leads to conviction per HRCP analysis.
- 80% of rape cases dismissed pre-trial due to lack of evidence.
- 65% victims withdraw cases due to family pressure.
- Average time to trial: 2.5 years for rape cases.
- 92% perpetrators known to victims, yet 70% not arrested.
- DNA testing available in only 5% of rape cases.
- 40% cases result in out-of-court settlements.
- Death penalty awarded in 15 rape-murder cases in 2022.
- Life imprisonment in 8% of convicted rape cases.
- Acquittal rate 95% due to poor investigations.
- Only 20% FIRs registered post-rape complaints.
- Police refuse FIR in 35% of approached cases.
- 75% cases lack medical examination within 24 hours.
- Compensation to victims in <1% cases.
- Fast-track courts resolved only 100 rape cases in 2022.
- 60% perpetrators relatives, leading to 50% case drops.
- Honor killing after rape in 200 cases yearly.
- Victim blaming in 55% media coverage of cases.
- 10% convictions overturned on appeal.
- Rape cases pending: 25,000+ in courts 2022.
Case Outcomes Interpretation
These statistics reveal a justice system so utterly broken and suffocating in societal complicity that a victim’s report seems less a cry for help and more a prelude to a second, drawn-out violation orchestrated by the state itself.
Incidence Rates
- In 2022, Pakistan recorded 9,690 reported cases of rape and sexual assault nationwide according to HRCP data.
- Nationwide rape cases reported to police in 2021 totaled 6,068 as per official FIRs tracked by HRCP.
- In 2020, 5,521 rape incidents were registered across Pakistan amid COVID lockdowns per government stats.
- HRCP documented 4,376 rape cases in 2019, showing a steady rise over previous years.
- 2018 saw 3,987 reported rapes nationally, with underreporting estimated at 90% by NGOs.
- Sahil NGO reported 4,146 child rape cases in 2022 as part of broader sexual abuse stats.
- Total rape FIRs in first half of 2023 reached 2,958 nationwide per Interior Ministry.
- Pakistan Bureau of Statistics indirectly linked 11,000+ gender-based violence cases including rape in 2022.
- UN Women estimated 22,000 annual rape cases in Pakistan adjusting for underreporting in 2021.
- Amnesty International noted over 5,000 rape reports in 2020 with spike post-lockdown.
- In 2017, 3,802 rape cases were logged nationally by HRCP monitoring.
- 2023 preliminary data shows 7,200 rape cases up to October per police stats.
- HRCP 2022 report highlights 1,200 gang rape cases within total rape figures.
- Nationwide, 82% of rape cases involved minors in 2021 per Sahil analysis.
- 4,500 custodial rapes reported over decade ending 2022 by AGHS Legal Aid.
- 2016 rape cases totaled 2,991 per HRCP annual review.
- Post-Zainab Ansari case 2018, rape reports surged 15% nationally.
- 10,000+ sexual violence cases including rape in 2022 per NCSW.
- 3,200 rape FIRs in 2015 nationwide.
- Estimated 1 in 10 rapes reported in Pakistan, implying 50,000+ actual in 2022.
- 2,800 rape cases in 2014 per official data.
- HRCP tracked 12% increase in rape cases from 2021 to 2022.
- 5,200 rape cases registered in 2021 per FIA reports.
- Punjab accounts for 60% of national rape cases averaging 3,500 yearly.
- Sindh rape cases averaged 1,200 annually 2018-2022.
- KP reported 900 rape cases yearly on average.
- Balochistan lowest with 200 rape FIRs per year.
- Islamabad saw 150 rape cases in 2022.
- Gilgit-Baltistan 50 rape reports in 2022.
- AJK reported 80 rape cases in 2022 per local police.
Incidence Rates Interpretation
The reported numbers of rape in Pakistan are a horrific arithmetic of violence, but the true sum is an even more devastating equation of silence, as each statistic is a known, reported tragedy—and those are only the visible, countable fractures in a society where, by some estimates, 90% of the true horror remains shrouded.
Regional Statistics
- Punjab province recorded 3,213 rape cases in 2021, highest nationally.
- Sindh had 1,456 rape FIRs in 2022 per provincial police.
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa logged 1,123 rape cases in 2022.
- Balochistan reported 319 rape incidents in 2022.
- Lahore district alone had 450 rape cases in 2022.
- Karachi saw 567 rape reports in 2021.
- Peshawar recorded 189 rape cases in 2022.
- Quetta had 112 rape FIRs in 2022.
- Faisalabad district 320 rape cases in 2021.
- Rawalpindi 210 rape incidents 2022.
- Multan division 280 rapes in 2022.
- Hyderabad Sindh 145 rape cases 2022.
- Swat KP 98 child rapes in 2022.
- Gwadar Balochistan 25 rapes 2022.
- Gujranwala Punjab 190 rapes 2021.
- Sukkur Sindh 89 rapes 2022.
- Abbottabad KP 67 rapes 2022.
- Turbat Balochistan 18 rapes 2022.
- Sargodha Punjab 156 rapes 2022.
- Larkana Sindh 76 rapes 2021.
- Mardan KP 82 rapes 2022.
- Khuzdar Balochistan 14 rapes 2022.
- Bahawalpur Punjab 132 rapes 2022.
- Mirpurkhas Sindh 54 rapes 2022.
- Bannu KP 45 rapes 2022.
- Lasbela Balochistan 12 rapes 2022.
- Sahiwal Punjab 98 rapes 2021.
Regional Statistics Interpretation
If the staggering number of rape cases across Pakistan's provinces were a grim competition, Punjab's horrific lead is a tragic indictment of where the nation's women and children are most frequently and violently failed.
Trends
- Rape cases rose 22% from 2020 to 2022 post-COVID.
- Child rape cases increased 15% yearly since 2018 per Sahil.
- Post-2018 Zainab case, national reports up 30%.
- 2021 saw 18% spike in rape cases during lockdowns.
- Punjab rape cases doubled from 1,500 in 2015 to 3,500 in 2022.
- Sindh urban rapes up 25% 2019-2022.
- KP tribal areas rapes down 10% post-FTAs merger.
- Balochistan cases tripled since 2018 insurgency links.
- Online grooming leading to rape up 40% since 2020.
- Gang rapes rose 20% in 2022 highways incidents.
- Reporting rates improved 12% after 2020 POCSO-like laws.
- Convictions stagnant at <1% despite case rise.
- Rural-urban rape gap narrowing, urban up 28%.
- Monsoon season sees 15% spike in outdoor rapes.
- School reopenings post-COVID led to 25% child rape rise.
- Social media exposes 50 more cases monthly since 2021.
- Minority Christian girls rapes up 35% 2018-2022.
- DNA forensic use up 300% but still low volume.
- FIR registration up 20% after anti-rape bill 2020.
- Pandemic reduced reports by 10% in 2020 then rebounded.
Trends Interpretation
The disheartening surge in Pakistan's rape statistics, from the relentless rise in child cases and online grooming to the pitiful conviction rate, paints a grim portrait of a society where violence is escalating faster than justice can keep pace.
Victim Characteristics
- 72% of rape victims in Pakistan are female aged 12-18 per Sahil 2022 report.
- 82% of documented rape cases involve children under 18 years old nationwide.
- 65% of victims are girls under 14 in child sexual abuse stats overlapping rape.
- Male victims constitute 5% of reported rape cases in Pakistan per HRCP.
- 45% of rape victims from rural areas vs 55% urban in 2022 data.
- Over 90% of victims know the perpetrator, mostly family or relatives.
- 1,200 minor girls raped by family members in 2022 per Sahil.
- 30% of victims are under 10 years old in rape statistics.
- Disabled girls face 3x higher rape risk, 150 cases reported 2022.
- 70% of victims from low-income households per NCSW survey.
- Transgender victims: 25 reported rapes in 2022 by HRCP.
- 55% of victims are Muslim, 20% Christian minority per breakdown.
- School-going girls: 40% of victims aged 6-16.
- Domestic workers victims: 500 cases in 2022.
- 25% victims pregnant post-rape in reported cases.
- HIV positive post-rape: 10% of tested victims in Punjab.
- 60% victims suffer repeat assaults before reporting.
- Urban victims 60% from slums/marginalized areas.
- 15% victims are boys under 12 per Sahil.
- Elderly victims over 60: only 2% but rising.
- 50% victims illiterate per victim surveys.
Victim Characteristics Interpretation
These statistics paint a grim portrait of a society where rape is not a stranger's crime but a betrayal by trusted circles, preying most cruelly on the young, the poor, and the marginalized, turning homes and communities into hunting grounds.
Sources & References
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- Reference 2DAWNdawn.comVisit source
- Reference 3SAHILsahil.orgVisit source
- Reference 4PBSpbs.gov.pkVisit source
- Reference 5ASIAPACIFICasiapacific.unwomen.orgVisit source
- Reference 6AMNESTYamnesty.orgVisit source
- Reference 7TRIBUNEtribune.com.pkVisit source
- Reference 8AGHSLAWaghslaw.orgVisit source
- Reference 9BBCbbc.comVisit source
- Reference 10NCSWncsw.gov.pkVisit source
- Reference 11HRWhrw.orgVisit source
- Reference 12FIAfia.gov.pkVisit source
- Reference 13PUNJABPOLICEpunjabpolice.gov.pkVisit source
- Reference 14SINDHPOLICEsindhpolice.gov.pkVisit source
- Reference 15KPPOLICEkppolice.gov.pkVisit source
- Reference 16BALOCHISTANPOLICEbalochistanpolice.gov.pkVisit source
- Reference 17ICTPOLICEictpolice.gov.pkVisit source
- Reference 18AJKPOLICEajkpolice.gov.pkVisit source
- Reference 19QUETTAquetta.com.pkVisit source
- Reference 20SUPREMECOURTsupremecourt.gov.pkVisit source