The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women (1993) defines violence against women as "any act of gender-based violence which results in, or is likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether in public or private life." (United Nations General Assembly 1993). Domestic violence against women is part of violence in private life. Also called intimate partner abuse and family violence, it is a global problem that crosses all geographic, social, cultural and ethnic boundaries. But it was only in the last decade of the 20th century that it received recognition as a serious public health and human rights problem. This article aims to discuss domestic violence against women in Pakistan. It will focus on some specific types of domestic violence prevalent in Pakistan, the factors behind them and an analysis of the health and human rights issue. For the purposes of this article, the term domestic violence is used as described in Innocenti Digest (UNICEF, 2000) to include violence against women by intimate partners and other family members, regardless of whether this violence occurs domestically. inside or outside the house. BACKGROUND The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the sixth most populous country in the world, is located in South Asia. Its people and traditions reflect many different cultures. Administratively it is divided into four provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Baluchistan, the federal capital Islamabad and seven Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Pakistan was the first Muslim country to have a female Prime Minister and currently they are women. they hold 21% of the seats in the Natio...... in the center of the newspaper......owell KE, et al. Public health policies to prevent violence. Health Aff 1993;12:7–29.• Mercy JA, Rosenberg ML, Powell KE, et al. Public health policies to prevent violence. Health Aff 1993;12:7–29.• Minallah, S. Durrani, A. 2009. Aspects of violence against women. UNDP• Nasrullah M, Haqqi S, Cummings KJ. Epidemiological patterns of women's honor killings in Pakistan. Eur J Public Health 2009; 19: 193–7.• Niaz U. Contemporary problems of Pakistani women: a psychosocial perspective. Journal of Pakistan Association Women's Studies 1997;6: 29-50.• Niaz U. Women's mental health in Pakistan. World psychiatry. 2004;3(1):60–62.• Oxfam briefing paper 2004. Ending violence against women in South Asia.• Pan American Health Organization. Violence against women: healthcare responds. Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization, 2003.