Women's Rights
Workplace harassment, dowry violence, anti-rape law, honour killings, women's property rights, and gender-based protections under federal and provincial law.
Covered in this guide:
Pakistan's women's rights framework has expanded materially in the last fifteen years, though enforcement remains uneven. The cluster of laws Pakistani women most often need to engage with includes the Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act 2006 (the package that re-routed Hudood cases), the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021, the Workplace Harassment Act 2010, the Anti-Honour Killing Law 2016, the provincial Domestic Violence Acts, and the Sindh Enforcement of Women's Property Rights Act 2019.
Many of these overlap with the family-law and police-encounter rights elsewhere on this site. This category is dedicated to laws where the gendered dimension is the law itself, not just incidental, and to the specialised forums (Special Anti-Rape Courts, Workplace Harassment Ombudspersons, Provincial Commissions on the Status of Women).
Key Laws
Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010
Act IV of 2010
Defines workplace sexual harassment, mandates internal Inquiry Committees in every organisation, creates a federal Ombudsperson and provincial Ombuds.
Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021
Act XXX of 2021
Special Anti-Rape Courts, fast-track investigation by women officers, anti-victim-shaming protections, and a National Sex Offenders Register maintained with NADRA. (Chemical castration was proposed but removed from the final Act after Council of Islamic Ideology objections; the 2020 Anti-Rape Ordinance had included it.)
Anti-Honour Killings Laws (Criminal Laws Amendment) Act 2016
Act XLIII of 2016
Made honour killings non-compoundable under section 311 PPC — the family of the victim cannot 'forgive' the killer to extinguish prosecution.
Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act 2016
Act XVI of 2016
Civil protection orders, residence orders, monetary relief; Violence Against Women Centres; District Women Protection Officers.
Sindh Enforcement of Women's Property Rights Act 2019
Sindh Act XII of 2019
Specific protection of women's inheritance and property rights — designated Ombudsperson with summary inquiry and order powers for women cheated of their share. (KP and Punjab have parallel Acts of 2019 and 2021 respectively.)
Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Act 1976
Act XLIII of 1976
Caps dowry value (Rs 5,000 — obsolete), restricts bridal gifts, criminalises excessive demand. Recovery of jahez is enforceable through Family Court.
Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Act 2011
Act XXIX of 2011
Made acid attacks specifically punishable (life imprisonment + fine), regulates sale of acids, mandates rehabilitation of survivors.
Workplace Sexual Harassment
The 2010 Act covers all organisations (public, private, NGOs) with even one woman worker. Every employer must:Display the Code of Conduct prominently at the workplace.Constitute an Inquiry Committee o...
Anti-Rape Investigation and Trial
The 2021 Act represents a structural overhaul of rape investigation in Pakistan. It applies to investigations and trials of rape, gang rape, and sexual abuse of children:Special Anti-Rape Courts in ev...
Anti-Honour Killings Law
Until 2016, honour killers regularly escaped punishment through the qisas-diyat (retaliation-blood money) framework. The accused was usually a family member, and the legal heirs of the victim were als...
Acid Attacks — Prevention and Survivor Support
Acid attacks were prosecuted under generic hurt provisions until 2011 — too lenient for the lifelong damage they cause. The Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Act 2011 created specific penalties:P...
Women's Property and Inheritance Rights
Sharia-prescribed inheritance shares give women — wives, daughters, sisters, mothers — fixed shares in the deceased's estate. In practice, women in Pakistan are routinely denied these shares through:C...
Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Rights
The 2018 Act was the first comprehensive transgender-rights framework in South Asia. It recognised:Gender identity: self-perceived (subject to FSC ruling).CNIC update: M, F, or X categories at NADRA.R...
Early and Forced Marriage
Early and forced marriages straddle several legal frameworks. The combination most relevant in practice:Age bar: provincial Child Marriages Restraint laws (covered in family-law category).Forced marri...
Reproductive Health and Maternal Care
Maternal and reproductive health in Pakistan rests on a mixed legal-policy frame:Maternity leave: covered in detail in workers-rights category. Federal 2023 Act gives 180/120/90 days for federal/ICT;...