KARACHI, Feb 1: At least 38 women, including three minor girls and 86 men, were murdered and some fifteen women injured in Sindh during the first month of this year, says a report.

The report, prepared by the Aurat Foundation Karachi, issued on Thursday said some 31 people, including 17 women, were murdered on the pretext of karo-kari (honour killing) in different parts of Sindh during January.

At least two women were raped and four others were gang-raped while five women survived rape attempts.

The report said, a young girl in village Habib Labano near Obavro was gang-raped and left naked by armed men. At least six women committed suicides while seven others attempted to commit suicide owing to increasing unemployment, forced and under-age marriages, domestic problems, violence and conflicts, said the report. It said at least fifteen women were kidnapped while four others were missing.

The report says at least eight couples married through courts after leaving their homes and twelve women were seeking shelter owing to threats to their lives. At least 26 women were arrested by the police under different allegations or in place of their relative male accused who could not be arrested.

The report says that despite the ban imposed on Jirgas, at least 15 Jirgas were held on women-related issues. At least four women including minor girls were given as compensation to settle bloody conflicts in different parts of the province. At least three women were sold during first month of the year.

According to the report, Irshad Chandio of Shahdadkot was attacked on the first night of his marriage by the former husband of Chandio’s wife. Irshad got injured; his wife and a 13-year-old boy Hubdar were killed in the attack.

“The bride was not virgin so I attacked her and her lover,” the accused later declared.

Zakir and his fiancée Sana were killed in Karachi by unknown men. A 55-year-old Razia and 25-year-old Deedar were the first victims of double-murder on pretext of karo-kari last month.