40-year-old Shazia S. was busy talking to her daughter at her parents-in-law's house in Lahore. The mother of six barely had any idea what awaited her. Her husband Sajjad R., a mason by profession, suddenly turned up and asked her to accompany him. She was surprised, but went with him nonetheless.

"He grabbed me firmly, shoving me against the wall and unleashing a barrage of kicks and slaps," Shazia told DW. "Then he picked up a metal pipe and started hitting me mercilessly," she added. Shazia's husband suspected that his wife was having an extramarital relationship. He kept asking about it while hitting me and wouldn't listen to me even though I stressed that I wasn't having any extramarital affair, she said.

Read more: A daughter killed by her family – a story of love and 'honor'

Sajjad even threatened to kill her and used his knife to cut off her nose, Shazia said. "No one could hear my cries because he had tightly locked the door. He also inflicted wounds on other parts of my body, including my neck, and then fled. He left me bleeding and crying for help," she recollected.

After the ordeal, Shazia's neighbors took her to a hospital, where she was treated. The doctors said they couldn't fix her nose with plastic surgery, but that she could try and get some treatment abroad.

Amjad Ali, an investigating officer in the case, told DW that the police raided various locations to nab the accused, but could not find him. Shazia's husband has now received bail and the court hearings of the case are set to take place in the coming weeks.

"The police failed to arrest my husband, who managed to get bail even before his arrest," Shazia said. "He came back to our area just the other day and told one of the residents that he chopped off my nose to teach me a lesson and save his honor, because he suspected me of meeting another man."

Shazia, who is now living with her mother in Lahore, fears for her life. Her husband wants her to withdraw the case against him. But she says she cannot imagine living together with a person who has ruined her life. She is also afraid that her father-in-law, a retired police official, might influence the authorities and seek to compromise the legal case against his son. Shazia stressed that she would not let her husband go scot-free.

Can a woman win an election in Pakistan's tribal regions? Getting close to the community Afridi's campaign office is in the town of Jamrud in Khyber District, northwest Pakistan. Here she coordinates events in local villages. She is running a door-to-door campaign in the villages, visiting all tribal elders, and asking men to break from the past and let women decide on their own who to vote for. She is running against 12 male opponents. The election is scheduled for July 20.

Can a woman win an election in Pakistan's tribal regions? An inspiration for young women A little girl wears a campaign sticker. Afridi told DW that running for election in a male-dominated society will be difficult, but she wants to provide an example for girls and women by displaying confidence, courage and leadership. Although women are not allowed to join her at campaign events in villages, local children often come along to help.

Can a woman win an election in Pakistan's tribal regions? First woman to meet with tribal elders Forty-year-old Afridi meets with tribal elders in their "Hujra," which is a traditional place for men to sit and discuss. She is the first woman to ever visit a Hujra in the area, as females are usually forbidden entry. A 60-year-old tribal leader told DW that he was impressed at how Afridi is convincing elders to vote for her, and that there are certain problems that women can solve better.

Can a woman win an election in Pakistan's tribal regions? A woman for the people Local shopkeepers gather around Afridi, as she gives a campaign speech at a market and makes her case for why she should represent the district in the regional assembly. Her style of door-to-door campaigning and directly asking for votes in villages, markets and Hujras is a new approach that she thinks will succeed.

Can a woman win an election in Pakistan's tribal regions? Every vote counts Young boys paste Afridi's campaign stickers on a car. Children are helping the campaign by setting up posters and signs in villages and homes in her district. In homes where women are not allowed to have their picture taken with Afridi, children are eager to be photographed.

Can a woman win an election in Pakistan's tribal regions? A fresh voice Afridi told DW that her campaign doesn't go after the competition. Her only wish is to win a seat in the assembly and advocate for the region's women. A social worker from the tribal areas told DW that society can create problems for tribal women; women aren't encouraged to get educated and stand up for their rights. He hopes that Afridi will win and make the district proud.

Can a woman win an election in Pakistan's tribal regions? An example for the future of tribal Pakistan? Afridi's campaign makes a statement for women in a region where girls are not allowed to attend school and men tell women who to vote for. Here a young student takes a selfie with Afridi. He told DW he supports her and will encourage his female family members to vote for her. "We believe this will be a positive change in tribal areas and we are in dire need of female candidates in the assembly." Author: Saba Rehman (Peshawar)



Rising numbers

Shazia is not the only victim of gender violence in Pakistan over the past several months. Recently, a woman was badly beaten up by her husband, a policeman, in Sheikhupura, a city located 55 kilometers away from Lahore.

Violence against women has been on the rise in Pakistan, a country of over 200 million people. It ranks sixth on the list of the world's most dangerous countries for women.

According to statistics collected by White Ribbon Pakistan, an NGO working for women's rights, 4,734 women faced sexual violence between 2004 and 2016. Over 15,000 cases of honor crimes were registered. There were more than 1,800 cases of domestic violence and over 5,500 kidnappings of women during this period.

According to media reports, more than 51,241 cases of violence against women were reported between January 2011 and June 2017. Conviction rates, meanwhile, remain low, with the accused in just 2.5% of all reported cases ending up being convicted by the courts.

The chief justice of Pakistan has recently announced that 1,000 courts would be set up to deal with the cases of violence against women.

Watch video 05:02 Share Activist Jilani: Pakistan 'cannot thwart' women's rights Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/34nXJ Activist Jilani: Pakistan 'cannot thwart' women's rights

A systemic problem

Pakistani women's rights activists like Mukhtaran Mai say it's a systemic problem.

"Women police stations and other facilities are set up in cities while the majority of the violence cases take place in villages," Mai said. "In rural areas, feudal landlords call the shots; the administration and police are subservient to these feudal chieftains who view women as commodities. So how can justice be delivered in such cases?"

Farzana Bari, another prominent women's rights activist, believes the patriarchal attitudes prevalent in Pakistani society are responsible for the problem. "No government has ever tried to put an end to this mindset," she said.

"It can be done by educating women in rural areas, empowering them economically and raising their representation in the legislature. If women constitute more than 45% of the population, why should they not have the same representation in the economy, employment and government?"

Read more: Mukhtaran Mai: 'More Pakistani women are demanding their rights now'

Critics say the current Pakistani government, under Prime Minister Imran Khan, hasn't been focusing on empowering girls and women.

In the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, governed by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, official recently issued guidelines ordering girls to wear the veil or abaya.

The order drew widespread outrage, forcing the government to reverse the decision. PTI leader and former federal minister Ishaq Khakwani admitted that the government did not pay enough attention to address the issue of violence against women.

"Only the government cannot be blamed for this situation. The entire society will have to come forward. The police and the judiciary will also have to play their roles. If cases linger in courts for years, then victims are forced to find other ways to settle such cases. So a comprehensive reform program is needed and all sections of society will have to play their role."