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Human rights
This Week in AsiaPeople

Beheaded, groped, beaten: violence against women in Asia is reaching alarming levels

  • Women have faced increased violence and abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic
  • Some of the most egregious cases involved a young woman who was beheaded in Pakistan and a domestic worker who alleged being beaten by her employer in Hong Kong

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Women’s rights activists demonstrate to condemn violence against women in Lahore, Pakistan, after the beheading of a young woman in an upscale neighborhood. Photo: AP
Raquel Carvalho
Groped in public, killed by an ex-partner, beaten by an employer. Women across Asia and beyond have faced increased domestic violence as well as sexual and gender-based abuse amid the coronavirus pandemic. A report released this week by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent said this was due to multiple issues, including increased socioeconomic stress on families and lockdowns forcing women to stay at home.
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On the heels of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, This Week in Asia is highlighting some forms of violence that women and girls are grappling with:

Pakistani women at a rally to mark International Women’s Day in Karachi, Pakistan. Photo: EPA
Pakistani women at a rally to mark International Women’s Day in Karachi, Pakistan. Photo: EPA

Tortured, beheaded, and groped

In countries such as Pakistan, experts and advocates say violence against women and girls has reached alarming levels.

Among the most recent high-profile cases was Noor Muqaddam, 27, who was tortured and beheaded in Islamabad in July. According to the local press, the charge sheet said that Zahir Jaffer, the main suspect in the case, kept her captive for three days and, when she tried to escape, the security guard and the gardener shut the main gate.

Jaffer’s parents were also charged with abetting the crime because the pair allegedly knew that Noor was being held against her will, but did not inform the police.

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In August, Ayesha Ikram, a TikTok creator, was harassed and groped by some 400 men while she was shooting videos in Lahore’s Greater Iqbal Park.

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