The completion of the first Violence Against Women Centre (VAWC) in Multan is a landmark in improving the plight of women in Pakistani society. Established under the historic Protection of Women Against Violence act 2016 (PWAV), this centre will provide a wide range of facilities for women suffering from violence, including medical aid and legal services. Moreover, a shelter home is also expected to be built alongside this centre, which will further extend the umbrella of protection for women.
The centre in Multan is just one of the centres that are planned to be built in all districts of Punjab, and this one measure by the Punjab government has the potential to radically redefine the status of women in Pakistani society by breaking the destructive cycle of abuse that many women in the province are victim to. Indeed that is the reason why PWAV was so virulently criticised by a major portion of the religious right — the guardians of the present patriarchal order. However, the fact that the first VAWC has been completed and scheduled to be fully operational by January shows that space is being increasingly taken away from these reactionary voices on Pakistan’s path towards progress and prosperity. After all, the rancour generated by the religious right was nothing more than desperate attempts by a group to retain its influence amid a tide that is increasingly making it irrelevant.
