KARACHI: A 19-year-old woman from the southern Pakistani city of Karachi is in a coma after allegedly being subjected to sexual violence by her husband, police and medical officials confirmed on Tuesday, in a case that has renewed focus on the country’s ongoing crisis of gender-based violence.

Police arrested the suspect, identified only as Ashok, after the victim’s family lodged a complaint under Sections 324 and 376B of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deal with attempted murder and rape. The assault allegedly took place just days after the couple were married on June 15.

“The victim, a 19-year-old from Lyari [neighborhood], is now in a coma. Her physical examination findings are consistent with sexual violence,” Dr. Summaiya Syed, Police Surgeon Karachi, told Arab News, adding that such incidents were “tragically frequent.”

“Circumstances vary and names change, but violence remains,” she said.

According to the police complaint, the woman’s condition deteriorated following a series of violent assaults by her husband. She was first taken to a local hospital by her in-laws and later shifted to Karachi’s Civil Hospital, where she remains in intensive care.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Arif Aziz said the suspect was arrested promptly after the incident was reported.

“This brutal sexual assault is a grave and serious offense, and the police are treating it with utmost urgency and priority to ensure the perpetrator is held accountable,” he said.

“We are committed to preventing such incidents in the future through firm and effective action.”

The case has drawn renewed attention to widespread violence against women in Pakistan, where incidents of domestic abuse, rape, and honor-based crimes remain pervasive.

According to a March report by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), over 32,617 gender-based violence cases were recorded nationwide in the first part of 2024 alone, including 5,339 cases of rape.

Despite the scale of the crisis, conviction rates remain dismally low. Prosecutions for rape and so-called “honor killings” result in a conviction in just 0.5 percent of cases, according to SSDO.

Activists cite underreporting, entrenched stigma, patriarchal attitudes and weak enforcement mechanisms as key reasons for the lack of justice.

“This case is horrifying, but sadly not isolated,” said Mehnaz Rehman, former Resident Director of the Aurat Foundation and a long-time women’s rights activist.

“Without accountability, these crimes will continue.”

Over the years, several high-profile rape and assault cases have sparked public outrage in Pakistan, including the 2020 gang rape of a woman on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway in front of her children, and the 2018 rape and murder of six-year-old Zainab Ansari in Kasur.

While both cases led to convictions, activists say such outcomes remain rare and systemic reform is still lacking.

Qurat Mirza, a founding member of Aurat March, said that victims of sexual assault or rape are often subjected to shame and social stigma, which discourages them from reporting such cases.

“Had this girl not fallen into a coma, this incident may never have come to light either,” she said, adding that while laws exist in Sindh province, the corresponding rules of business have yet to be formulated.

Urging the government to demonstrate political will by implementing existing laws and pursuing judicial reforms, Mirza said women would continue to speak out.

“Resilience and resistance are our only solutions,” she said. “We will continue to condemn injustice, raise our voices in protest, and create awareness until women are truly protected.”

The Karachi case remains under investigation.