GBV_COP_SOC · Exploring Complex Realities Around Gender Based Violence, Multiple Legal Orders and Role of Police in Addressing GBV Cases in Pakistan and Pakistani Immigrant Community in Norway

Exploring Complex Realities Around Gender Based Violence, Multiple Legal Orders and Role of Police in Addressing GBV Cases in Pakistan and Pakistani Immigrant Community in Norway

Gender-Based Violence (GBV) within Pakistani society and among Pakistani immigrant communities in Norway is a serious issue. The study examined how entrenched patriarchal norms and power imbalances perpetuate violence against marginalized groups, particularly women, across both national and diasporic contexts. Hosted by the Centre for Community-Based Policing and Post-Conflict Police Reform at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), and supervised by Professor Dr. Shai Divon, the fellowship focused on mapping the complex legal pluralities and the role of police institutions in addressing GBV. The research explored how formal and informal legal systems interact in Pakistan and Norway, and how these systems influence victims’ access to justice. Key findings revealed that cultural mechanisms such as honor, privacy, and religious interpretations often undermine formal legal protections and reinforce GBV. The study also highlighted the potential of community policing as a proactive strategy to address root causes of gender-based crimes through collaborative partnerships between police and local communities. By comparing the experiences of Pakistani women in rural and urban settings in both countries, the project identified critical gaps in service provision, legal enforcement, and victim support. The research contributes to the broader discourse on human security, legal pluralism, and culturally sensitive policing, offering policy-relevant recommendations for more effective GBV prevention and response strategies. To address this issue, the main aim of this research, focusing on Pakistan and the Pakistani community in Norway, was to study GBV as a cultural phenomenon, establishing which cultural mechanism and legal pluralities are involved in the violence itself and in the many ordinances, laws and police-community initiatives undertaken and passed to ensure the safety of disadvantaged groups and particularly women, to come up with recommendations for more efficient strategies, regulations and measures to prevent and control GBV. The following were three main objectives of the research: 1. How is GBV defined by Pakistani and Norwegian men and women in specific cultural and social settings (rural/urban, Pakistan/Norway)? The intersectional lens will be used to understand the perception of men and women regarding GBV. 2. To identify the mechanisms/services designed at governmental level, particularly in policing (both in Pakistan and Norway)? 3. To explore the options available to men and women to seek justice for GBV in patriarchal settings such as the Pakistan and Pakistani families living in Norway? The below research questions will be used to understand both Pakistani case and the case of Pakistani immigrants in Norway: 1. What are the gaps and challenges faced by the victims in accessing these services related to GBV? 2. What are the loopholes and how can they be addressed? 3. How are cultural and religious aspects related to honour, privacy and patriarchy addressed in these initiatives by police to address GBV? 4. Why and how do men and women make the choice in opting for a particular legal system (formal/informal)? 5. How do men and women negotiate around these systems? 6. What are the mechanisms developed in families/societies to dodge formal legal order established to ensure women safety? In the proposal , I identified that I would do 3 months secondment in CEPOL, however, the plan changed during the post doc because the contact person from CEPOL retired and we lost the contact with the organization. However, during two years, we tried finding interesting institution but it couldnt materialize. Therefore, instead, I attended courses at Norwegian police college organized by UNPOC.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union