Pakistan To Speed up Justice Against Sexual Violence

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi on Tuesday signed a decree for the creation of special courts and speedy trials in cases of sexual violence against women and children.

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The 2020 Anti-rape ordinance also sets up “special crisis cells" that must carry out medical examinations of the victims in less than six hours after the report of a violation. The special courts must subsequently issue a verdict within a maximum of four months.

The identity of the victim of sexual abuse will be kept secret for their safety, and the disclosure of their names will be penalized.

The new norm abolishes the cross-examination to which the victims were subjected to their aggressors and imposes penalties of up to three years in prison on police officers and officials who show negligence in these cases.

The decree came in response to a series of sexual abuse scandals, including the rape of a woman in front of her two children after the vehicle they were riding in overnight ran out of gas on a highway.

In September, this case sparked a wave of outrage among Pakistanis who called for urgent measures to protect women.

Shortly after, Prime Minister Imran Khan announced that he would pass a "strict and holistic anti-rape" decree to overcome legal loopholes.

The Cabinet then announced an amendment to the Civil Code that includes the physical castration of habitual sexual offenders. This measure, however, has not been officially confirmed yet.

Before the “motorway incident”, Pakistan was also shaken in 2018 by the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl, which sparked violent protests against police inaction in the face of this type of crime.