If you are being physically abused often and you are beginning to fear serious harm, prepare yourself by taking the following precautions, especially if violence takes place at night:

1. Confide in a close neighbour or friend, who you can trust.
2. Tell him or her that you fear that you might need help in an emergency.
3. Decide on a way to indicate you are under threat, so he or she can call police on 15.
4. Find out the CPLC Zonal Office number of your area and give it to your friend/confidante, along with the 15 police emergency number.
5. Ask him or her to inform the police that a woman is being battered in the neighborhood and she may be in danger.
6. Ask him or her to give the police your address.

The interruption by the arrival of the police can stop immediate violence, and you may be able to spend the night in relative safety.

Where to go

• If you have decided to leave your home, it is advisable to do so during the day and take refuge at a women’s shelter.
• Staying away will help you to think through your situation, talk to someone, see a psychologist to overcome trauma and fear before taking action.
• Go as soon as possible for a medico legal examination. The urgency is to ensure that all injuries like bruises or cuts are seen and recorded by the medico-legal officer. That will be your evidence, in case you choose to take legal action. Recording your injuries does not mean you have to take legal action, but it is important to record the incident.
• Locate a women’s shelter that provides fairly comprehensive support, including advice on legal aid.

What to do

If you decide to come out of your abusive situation through legal action:

• Read the section on this site that lists organizations who provide legal aid to survivors of violence.
• Call one of the listed Helpline numbers for legal aid and advice
  • APWA Legal Aid Call Centre Helpline – 111-279-252 – between 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM
  • Crisis Centre, Ministry of Women’s Development – 0300-290-8535 between 11:00 AM to 6:30PM
  • Panah Home Phone: 0213-3636-0025, 0214-3636-0028 between 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
  • Madadgaar Helpline: 111-911-922 between 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
• The organization will advise and assist you through the process, and help fulfill the legal & police requirements, as they are familiar with it.
• The first step is to undergo a medico-legal examination as soon as possible, as your case rests on establishing evidence of grievous hurt.
• The medico-legal examination takes place at one of the hospitals listed below between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM:
  • Civil Hospital
  • Jinnah Hospital
  • Abbassi Shaheed Hospital
• Usually the medico-legal examiner asks for a letter from the Police Station or Police Surgeon. This is not an essential requirement and it is your right to ask to be examined, but you may still face difficulty without the letter.
• Your Legal Aid provider will assist and arrange for the letter to the MLO
• Find out when the MLO will give you the certificate, and collect it on the date.

Muslim Family Laws Ordinance (MFLO) requires a man to give notice & go through a mediation process before divorce. However, it is often not followed, and the divorce is still enforced.

A man is req

uired to pay the Meher at the time of divorce, if he has not paid it earlier. If the woman has the right of divorce in the Nikahnama, she can give a divorce and she does not have to give up her right to Meher.

Is a woman divorced if the husband has declared Talaq 3 times orally directly to her without witnesses? And does he have conjugal rights if he wants her back?

It is considered the first Talaq if it is the first instance that this has happened. The husband can take her back and would have conjugal rights if the woman agrees to go back to him.

If he does the same a second time, but later changes his mind, a woman can still go back if she agrees. It will be considered a regular marriage where the wife and husband have conjugal rights.

The third time that he pronounces Talaq, it would be considered final. He cannot demand any conjugal rights after that.

Each time the Talaq is pronounced, it is advisable to inform the Union Council, who will then let the husband know that they are in the picture.

Repeated pronouncements of Talaq are not acceptable, as divorce should not be made a mockery of. It is wiser to inform the Union Council, even if the man has not informed them, to ensure that he too takes care next time. Some times a man may use this as a strategy to keep a woman hanging, while he does not inform the Union Council.

Should a woman take/accept advice from a Maulvi in such cases?

The woman or the couple should NEVER refer to a Maulvi for advice in cases of any confusion about divorce unless she knows that the Maulvi understands the law in Pakistan. She should ensure that the Maulvi has not ‘corrupted’ the practice as suggested in Islam. Many Maulvis often advise ‘Halala’, in which a woman is most often exploited. This is both illegal & un-Islamic.

Can a woman report the oral pronouncement of the divorce to the Union Council to ensure the legality of her position as a divorcee?

Yes she can and should. It is important that she safeguard her position.

Is Union Council required by law to take action to ensure the safety of a woman?

The Union Council will not take action apart from informing the husband.

The law requires that the man give notice through the Union Council and go through the divorce procedure. Even though it is not legally correct to do so, but many people accept oral divorce as the law is not enforced, especially in small towns & rural areas.

A husband is required to register the divorce through the Union Council, even if he pronounced it orally. But often men do not do so and it is advisable that the woman should check with Union Council if she does not receive notice of the registration of divorce within the period of a month.

A woman can go to the Union Council and get her divorce registered herself as well for her own safety.

Whether a divorce is pronounced orally or Talaq notice is received through the Union Council, women are advised to immediately refer their case to a lawyer for advice. A husband cannot divorce his wife just before death to prevent her from inheriting her share of the property.

Khula or Talaq-e-Baaen:

A woman has the right to Khula in lieu of giving up her right to Meher. However, she does not need to return any gifts, jewelry, money or anything else she had received at the time of marriage and before the divorce.

The procedure for Khula is: that a woman has to register her Khula in the Panchaet Committee or Union Council. After 90 days the confirmation of Khula is issued.

Dissolution:

A woman may seek dissolution in case she is under-age and if the marriage has not been consummated.

Dissolution can also be sought on grounds of cruelty, non-maintenance, impotence, insanity, missing for 4 years, lack of marital obligations, given in marriage by father when under-age and if the marriage has not been consummated.

Divorce/Talaq by the Husband

Under MFLO limited reforms have also been introduced in relation to talaq. Under MFLO a divorcing husband shall, as soon as possible after talaq has been pronounced, in whatever form, give a notice in writing to the chairman of the Union Council. The chairman must then supply a copy of the notice of talaq to the wife. Non-compliance is punishable by imprisonment and/or a fine. Within thirty days of receipt of the notice of talaq, the chairman must constitute an Arbitration Council in order to take steps to bring about reconciliation between the husband and the wife. If and when such attempts to negotiate a reconciliation fail, a talaq that is not revoked in the meantime, either expressly or implicitly, takes effect after the expiry of ninety days from the day on which the notice of repudiation was first delivered to the chairman. If, however, the wife is pregnant at the time of the pronouncement of talaq, the talaq does not take effect until ninety days have elapsed or the end of the pregnancy, whichever is later.

Failure to notify, in the above stated manner, invalidated Talaq until the late 1970s and early 1980s, but introduction of the Zina Ordinance allowed scope for abuse as repudiated wives were left open to charges of zina if their husbands had not followed the MFLO’s notification procedure. Since early 1980s, the practice of the Courts in Pakistan is that they validate a Talaq despite a failure to notify as provided under the MFLO.

Judicial Divorce / Khula:

Dissolution of Muslim Marriages Act 1939

Judicial khula may also be granted without the husband’s consent if the wife is willing to forgo her financial rights.

Grounds for Judicial Divorce

Grounds on which a woman may seek khula include:

• Desertion by husband for four years
• Failure to maintain for two years
• Husband contracting a polygamous marriage in contravention of established legal procedures
• Husband’s imprisonment for seven years
• Husband’s failure to perform marital obligations for three years
• Husband’s continued impotence from the time of the marriage
• Husband’s insanity for two years or his serious illness
• Wife’s exercise of her option of puberty if she was contracted into marriage by any guardian before the age of 16 and repudiates the marriage before the age of 18 (as long as the marriage was not consummated)
• Husband’s cruelty (including physical or other mistreatment, unequal treatment of co-wives), and
• Any other ground recognized as valid for the dissolution of marriage under Muslim law.

On a husband’s death a woman inherits 1/6th share from his movable & immovable property.

A Succession Certificate is needed under Succession Act 372 for movable property and Letter of Administr

ation 278, in case of immovable property, which has to be applied for and acquired from the court.

Courts are now sensitive more often to attempts at usurpation of women’s inheritance rights & it seldom happens that she does not inherit her share as per law from the property of her husband & it cannot be transferred to another’s name without the succession certificate.

Once a woman has taken Khula, or is divorced she does not inherit from her husband’s property.

Click here to read more on Inheritance Laws in Pakistan

Child Custody:

Custody is dealt with by the Guardians and Wards Act of 1890. Under it, the welfare of the child is paramount when deciding custody.

No matter what customs or personal law rules, the parents’ community or sect follows regarding custody; any parent who wants custody has to seek it from the Guardian Court. In other words, there is never any automatic transfer of a child’s custody to a particular parent.

The conditions of custody are dependent on age, sex, religion, capacity of guardian, minor’s preference, whether siblings would be divided, whether either or both parents have remarried.

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Issues related to child marriages:

• Young girls suffer physical damage to their bodies when married young because their bodies are not fully formed to take on child bearing
• Girls develop fistula and it is a major medical problem in areas where child marriages take place
• Child marriage takes away the right of choice
• Child marriages are often forced marriages
• Child marriages can lead to psychological trauma & emotional disorders
• Child marriages propagate human rights abuses and anti-women stance

Rich Text Area Toolbar Bold (Ctrl / Alt+Shift + B) Italic (Ctrl / Alt+Shift + I) Strikethrough (Alt+Shift+D) Underline Unordered list (Alt+Shift+U) Ordered list (Alt+Shift+O) Outdent Indent Align Left (Alt+Shift+L) Align Center (Alt+Shift+C) Align Right (Alt+Shift+R) Insert/edit link (Alt+Shift+A) Unlink (Alt+Shift+S) Insert/edit image Edit CSS Style Insert More Tag (Alt+Shift+T) Insert Page break (Alt+Shift+P) Toggle spellchecker (Alt+Shift+N) ▼ Find Toggle fullscreen mode (Alt+Shift+G) Show/Hide Kitchen Sink (Alt+Shift+Z) fblike.desc Font size Font size ▼ Format Paragraph ▼ Paste as Plain Text Paste from Word Remove formatting Insert custom character Print Select text color ▼ Select background color ▼ Emotions Superscript Subscript Insert / edit embedded media Undo (Ctrl+Z) Redo (Ctrl+Y) Insert/Edit Attributes Help (Alt+Shift+H) Insert/edit anchor Issues related to child marriages: Young girls suffer physical damage to their bodies when married young because their bodies are not fully formed to take on child bearing Girls develop fistula and it is a major medical problem in areas where child marriages take place Child marriage takes away the right of choice Child marriages are often forced marriages Child marriages can lead to psychological trauma & emotional disorders Child marriages propagate human rights abuses and anti-women stance Path : p

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1. Know that the law does offer you protection through the Child Marriage Restraint Act
2. Know that even if the Nikah has been performed you can apply for dissolution of your marriage as
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   early as possible and before you are sent away, if you have been forced into this marriage and wish to get out of it

3. Know that if you are under 16 your marriage is illegal and it can be annulled
4. Take a look at the laws in the section on laws related to Child marriages to make yourself aware of the ways the law offers you protection
5. Look up the section on this site for numbers and addresses of Helplines and organizations that will provide you help & support & call any of the following:
6. APWA Helpline between 2 to 6 PM, where a lawyer would be able to offer advice as well as fight your case in court
7. Madadgaar Helpline between 7 AM to 7 PM, where LHRLA can offer advice and help in getting you to a lawyer
8. PAWLA, where women’s lawyers will be able to advise you
9. Panah Shelter Home in case you need a safe place to stay and provide you support & legal help

These organizations will also help you prepare and take you to court for your statement.

In cases of violence that are rooted in customary practices of tribes or a particular society your best friends and support are women’s rights and human rights organizations nearest to you.

Women within the community need to become aware that they are the best support system against their society when they suffer from customary practices & societal violence

There is little action a child can be expected to take directly herself. It is obvious, that little girls would be unaware of what is being done to them and therefore there is no question of them putting up any resistance to child marriage and the Government needs to play its role.

This abuse will need to be dealt with through the active participation of human rights & women’s rights organizations.

However, even girl children should be provided with Helpline phone numbers to call if they feel something is being done to them that they are scared of or feel are wrong.

The Human Rights Cell at the Supreme Court should be monitored and be able to receive calls for help so that it can respond to by taking suo motto action.

It is important for women to know the ways in which the Constitution & laws of Pakistan offer women protection and public awareness ads can be a great help to inform women as well as make the perpetrators aware that the government is serious about eradicating violence.

Pakistan being a signatory to international Conventions of Human Rights as well as being a signatory to CEDAW does provide a small space and window of opportunity to seek redress and should seek help from International organizations to effectively implement its laws.

Redress should also be sought under our human rights in the Constitution and Government measures should be seen to be effective in this regard through NCSW in making policies, Ministry of Human Rights ensuring implementation of policies to safeguard women’s rights.

Ministry of Women Development (MoWD) manages crisis centres in 18 different cities of the country. In Karachi, you can call 021-9920-6770.

Human trafficking is against the law and recruiters, transporters and control

lers can be arrested and imprisoned. If you or someone you know is at risk or is a victim of trafficking, please immediately contact the FIA Helpline 111-345-786 and ask for the Anti-Trafficking Unit.

WHO CAN HELP

Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA) – As part of its free legal assistance, LHRLA directs its clients to private shelters, but the Pakistan Government is not willing to help with their repatriation, legalization of status, or otherwise.

LHRLA was established in 1989 with the help of fifty lawyers to provide free legal aid for those who could not afford the expenses of litigation. It has helped women and children who have been imprisoned on false charges or owing to other injustices. A few years ago, LHRLA started getting letters and requests for help from Bangladeshi women in jail. They then began research and data collection and are now actively advocating their cases.

It has been extremely difficult to secure a release from jail because there is a very strong network of powerful pimps. Despite threats, they say they have successfully advocated for over 500 Bangladeshi women and children victims of this illegal trade. Those already released are rehabilitating at various shelters, mostly at Edhi homes.

The Asia Watch Report recommends certain action steps to effectively stem this atrocious trade in women and children.

Punishments for trafficking:

• Planning human trafficking into or out of Pakistan can be punishable by five years of imprisonment and fine.
• Executing the plan can be punishable by seven years of imprisonment and fine.
• If you have been kidnapped, abducted or even if someone has attempted to kidnap you, they can be sent to jail for 10 years and fined.
• If anyone takes, hides or destroys your personal documents (like passport), or restricts or even attempts to restrict your freedom to move or travel, they can be sent to jail for five years and fined.
• If someone hires a trafficked individual by coercion, they can be sent to jail for seven years and fined.
• If the traffickers are part of an organized criminal group, each member can be imprisoned for ten to fourteen years.

Special circumstances:

• If trafficked for exploitative entertainment, the trafficker and person who has hired the victim can be imprisoned for ten to fourteen years
• Specifically, if a woman or child has been trafficked, the trafficker can be sent to jail for ten years and fined. If kidnapping is involved of a woman or child, this can go up to fourteen years of imprisonment
• If a man or woman repeatedly trafficks, they can be jailed for up to fourteen years and fined.

All these offences are non-bailable i.e., if you decide to fill out an FIR against the perpetrator and the police arrest him/her, they cannot be bailed out by anyone.

Things to remember:

• Remember that your statement is voluntary – that means, you cannot be forced or pressured to appear in court.
• If you do decide to give a statement in court, you have the option to record your statement at the earliest, in order to save you any further emotional distress.
• According to Victim Assistance, Protection and Rehabilitation Ordinance (Rules 2004): Trafficked victims should be provided free legal aid by the Federal Government along with all arrangements and expenses for anything you might require during your stay here in Pakistan. Such as shelter, food, medical assistance- especially for children and women.
• The Government of Pakistan is responsible for your safe reparation. That is, all arrangements and expenses needed to get you back to your home country. If you do not desire to go back home, for whatever reason, Government officials should assist you in getting a work permit.

Warning signals that you are being lured into Trafficking:

1. Does an opportunity sound too good to be true?
2. Is it an opportunity to make a lot of money?
3. Are you tempted by promises of a great new life?
4. Will you receive a lot of material goods?
5. Is someone offering to pay your travel expenses, saying they can be repaid once you start work?
6. Have any promises been broken?
7. Are you being promised marriage?
8. Are you being kept in confinement or are you being exploited?

If the answers to any or most of the above is yes, then you are being lured into Trafficking, are in the process of being Trafficked or already have been trafficked.

What to do if you are a victim of trafficking:

1. If you are afraid, have escaped your jailers, or those who are prostituting you or holding you in custody against your will, call the following numbers for help:

Madadgaar Helpline – From 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

LHRLA – From 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM – 021-3521-9902 / 021-3567-4031

Crisis Centre, Ministry of Women’s Development – Legal Officer – 0300-290-8535

APWA Legal Aid Call Centre Helpline – 111-279-252

Panah Shelter Home – From 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM – 021-3636-0025 / 021-3636-0028

WAR Against Rape – 021-3583-0903 / 021-3537-3008

CPLC – 021-111-222-345 / 021-3568-2222 / 021-3568-3336

Where to go:

Seek shelter at any of the following:

• Panah Shelter Home – Plot No. ST-6, Block 10, Federal B Area, Karachi, (Near Aisha Manzil)
• Edhi Welfare Centre – Head Office: 021-3242-1920 Sarrafa Bazar, Mithadar, Karachi.
• Gosha-e-Afiat – Al Hifazat Trust, A/62, Block Q, North Nazimabad

For guidance:

Seek advice from Madadgaar or LHRLA on their Helpline before you give your statement to the police or in court. LHRLA &Madadgaar provide Legal Aid and support to trafficked women & children with the aid of International NGOs (IMO) & the FIA.

For Trafficked women it is best to seek legal help from NGOs who provide help to women & official institutions of the Government rather than being afraid of them.

There are undocumented immigrant victims of trafficking who are languishing in jails for years and are waiting to be repatriated.

Charges Upon Arrest:

Once imprisoned, most women are ei

ther charged under the Foreigners Act prohibiting illegal entry and/ or incorrectly charged under the Zina section of the Hudood Ordinance, which specifically prohibits extra-marital sexual intercourse.

In Jail: Victims/survivors of trafficking usually do not get benefit of bail and other concessions; these forms of relief are not available to them because they are generally incapable of exercising the financial and political influence required to redress the injustices committed against them.

While lawyers do not have access to their clients, pimps, with the aid of jail authorities, manage to see them regularly, harassing and directing threats at them. Confined in deplorable jail conditions, where they are frequently abused, and with no access to any other source or help, the women submit to the pimps’ offers to get them released. Under duress and in sheer desperation, the women agree to the conditions of the pimps. Once released, they are forced to comply with the conditions, since it appears to be their only hope in the face of involvement of law enforcement authorities on the one hand, and the pimps’ threats to revoke bail, on the other. They are trapped. Furthermore, taboos of shame, fear and poverty force them to remain entrapped in the web of this trade, preventing them from returning to their country of origin.

Recommendations for change

The flesh trade in women and young girls continues unabated, and no legal provisions have been instituted or implemented to afford protection to the victims of this trade. The following have often been recommended by various civil society organizations, advocacy groups & others involved with trafficked women and children, to effectively combat the illegal trade of trafficking of women and children into the country:

1. Trafficked women and children must be recognized as victims of trafficking and not as criminals.
2. Whenever victims/survivors testify, they must be provided protection by the government and their names must be kept private.
3. Monetary assistance should be arranged in order to re-unite trafficked women and children with their families in their homeland.
4. Victims/survivors should be given the option of permanently legalizing their status in Pakistan and support should be provided for their rehabilitation in the country.
5. The Government should ratify the 1951 UNHCR Convention and 1967 Protocol, regarding refugee status and make laws that meet the requirements of these documents.

1. Victims of Swara can seek protection under all the above Conventions, the Constitution, under Section 310 of the PPC and under the Child Marriage Act.
2. A Nikah is not valid if it was performed before
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   the girl was 18 years of age, or free to refuse.

3. A Swara victim can apply for dissolution of her Nikah before she is sent away to the aggrieved family.
4. There are organizations and lawyers specializing in women’s rights and human rights that will fight a Swara case free of cost and help the victim come out of her situation.
5. Victims or their supporters can email an appeal to the Human Rights Cell at the Supreme Court created by the Chief Justice and appeal to him to take suo motto notice.
6. If she is afraid of repercussions at home, a Swara victim can seek shelter at a women’s shelter.

Resources:

There are several organizations that provide help and support to women and girls who are victims of Swara free of cost. Several will also provide legal counsel and connect victims with legal representation.

• Look up the list of service providers and organizations that provide help and support to women survivors of violence here
• Contact women’s rights NGOs and ask them for advice and help
• Call the Madadgaar Helpline number that may take your case or direct you to a lawyer
• Call the APWA Helpline number which can get you in touch with a lawyer who will take on the case at a low fee or pro-bono
• Call Panah Shelter Home, which is a safe haven, free of cost
• Panah will also help you get in touch with a lawyer and provide guidance

Legal Action:

A case against Swara can be made on the basis of violations of the Pakistan’s Constitution as well as International Laws and Conventions.

1. Article 16 of UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights) grants the right of marrying by one’s own choice to every individual, without any discrimination of gender, race, nationality and religion.
2. The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Article 16 states that “All signatories shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in all matters relating to marriage and family relations and in particular shall ensure, on a basis of equality of men and women:

• The same right to enter into marriage;
• The same right freely to choose a spouse and to enter into marriage only with their free and full consent;
• The same right and responsibilities during marriage and its dissolution.

The Jirga (tribal judicial council) decides the fate of women and the pronouncement of Swara is made without the consent of the girls concerned. Most of the times, the girls are too young to understand what

is happening. The Jirga consists of male members of the community, including elders of both families, and women wield little to no power. Even a mother’s consent is not taken, nor can she raise a voice against it. The decision of the Jirga is binding upon both families and anyone who goes against it is held liable. The Jirga may rule that cash, land, animals, guns, or girls, be given by the accused party to the aggrieved party.

If the Swara is adult or mature, she is handed over to the rival party, but if she is a minor (the definition of ‘minor’ varies from community to community), she is kept in trust at her parents’ home. The aggrieved party has total discretion to decide whether to perform the nikah then or later.

The Swara is sent to the enemy’s house to secure the lives of the male members of her family. The treatment meted out to the Swara at her new house is often cruel, as she is taunted and cursed for being a Swara. The innocent Swara bears the brunt of a crime she has never committed for the rest of her life. She is treated as a slave who has no say in her life and can never see her family. She remains stigmatized till her death. Swaras have been known to commit suicide due to the treatment meted out to them.

The practice of Swara is among the worst forms of violence against women (VAW) and violations of human rights, and must be stopped. This shameful practice perpetuates the right and control of men over women to treat them as property and use them in whatever way they wish, in this case, to get impunity from a crime or offense.

If a Jirga imposes this practice, it is important for women to know that they have a strong defense.

In the Pakistan Penal Code, under the Qisas and Diyat law, “the right to qisas in murder cases can be compounded, i.e. compensation (badl-e-sulh) can be accepted by the family of the victim in lieu of punishment.” But this does not mean that a woman can be given as Badl-e-Sulh.

Section 310 of the PPC stipulates that the giving of a woman in compensation is not a valid form of badl-e-sulh, but it does not explicitly prohibit the practice. There are no instruments to ensure implementation or misuse of the law.

The Peshawar High Court has described Swara as “tyrannical, illegal and against Islamic law”. It has suggested that a penalty be imposed on anyone upholding this custom. It has directed the lower courts not to accept any agreement on the basis of Swara. It has also held that a marriage contract is void if it is made in the context of Swara.

However, these measures are not enough to curtail the practice because there is no implementation and enforcement. Pakistan is bound by its Constitution to negate practices in contravention of human rights. Pakistan is also a signatory to international conventions, such as Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and it has to uphold these commitments.

Most often those accused of Karo-Kari have little time to save their lives, so any action to save lives need to be swift. Your first step is to make yourself safe from attack. In most Karo-Kari cases on

ce the jirga has announced its decision, safety of life is the first concern.

1. Seek shelter as soon as possible at Panah Shelter Home. Open from9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Or Edhi Shelter at their Head Office, which is open 24 hours.
2. Call Madadgaar Helpline between 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM and ask them for help or guidance to send you to a shelter in an emergency.
3. If you need to leave home in an emergency and have nowhere to go, go to the emergency ward of one of the major hospitals with 24-hourlarge and crowded emergency sections. This helps you be less visible and vulnerable. Stay there until it becomes possible for you to call from one of the public pay phones (PCO) at the hospital and get to the Shelter as soon as you can.
4. Call or go to the CPLC Head Office, which is open 24 hours a day, and ask for help, protection and to register your complaint.
5. Call APWA Helpline between 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM for legal help & advice from a lawyer right away on the phone and ask the lawyer to take your case. They often provide services free of cost or at a reduced rate.
6. Record your statement in court. Shelters or organizations supporting you can provide legal help and referrals.
7. If you feel you need a psychologist to help you come out of your fear and trauma, PMA Pakistan Medical Association provides a referral to survivors of violence.
8. Sindh Police have set up anti-Karo Kari cells in four districts of the province: Sukkur, Ghotki, Khairpur and Naushero Feroz.
   Helpline number: 111-123-588

If you received injuries before you left home, follow this procedure:

1. Go to the CPLC Head Office and ask them to give you a letter to the police surgeon or for the WMLO (Woman Medico Legal Officer)
2. Have yourself examined by a WMLO at JPMC, Civil Hospital or at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in case you need proof of hurt inflicted upon you.
3. Ensure that all injuries are recorded and photographed.
4. Collect the report on the date and time on which you are instructed. This is report is very important if you choose legal recourse.
5. Liaqat General Hospital offers medical help to survivors of violence through their Welfare service.

Once you or the woman under attack is out of immediate danger, it is advisable to contact organizations that provide support for survivors of violence. They are familiar with procedures to follow in such situations, can provide basic needs like shelter and food, and are able to refer you to legal, medical and psychological services.