Factors that contribute to the violence against women: a study from Karachi, Pakistan

Violence against women is an international issue that is affecting the lives of women globally. Sustainable Development Goals also emphasizes gender equality and women’s empowerment for peace around the world and each country is responsible to check within a country accordingly. In Pakistan women are vulnerable to violence because of the patriarchal society in the country; the resulting male dominance results in extensive violence against women. The purpose of this study is to discover the factors that are responsible for violence against women in Karachi city. Several studies are already reported in the literature about violence against women in Pakistan, but this study focuses on the city of Karachi in particular where women from three different social classes were interviewed. A total of 22 participants were interviewed from lower, middle and upper classes. A comparative analysis made in order to find out the differences in the level of intensity of violence against women between three different classes. The focus on both gender and class motivated the use of an intersectionality framework to analyse the multiple interlocking categories of violence in women’s life in Karachi. The research showed that all those factors reported in the previous literature are still present in the society and still need to be addressed to make progress towards the 2030 agenda of Sustainable Development Goals