“Pakistan approves tough anti-rape law amid outcry over victim blaming”, The Guardian
Hannah Ellis-Petersen, South Asia correspondent, London, Wed 16 Dec 2020
Legislation will speed up rape trials, protect victims’ identity and create sex offender register
A gang-rape in Pakistan in September prompted outcry, fuelled by police blaming the victim. Photograph: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters
Pakistan’s president has approved a tough new anti-rape law that includes the establishment of special courts to speed up rape trials and the chemical castration of serial rapists.
The legislation, which must be approved by parliament to remain in effect, requires courts to conclude the trials of alleged rapists and issue verdicts within four months. It also prohibits the disclosure of the identity of rape victims and will create a national sex offenders’ register.
Rape crisis cells will also be established to ensure victims undergo a specialist medical examination within six hours of reporting the incident. Officers who are found to be negligent in investigating rape cases could face a three-year prison sentence.
The move follows outrage over the gang-rape of a woman in front of her children in September after her car broke down by the side of the road in Lahore. It prompted protests after the investigating police officer appeared to blame the victim for travelling alone.
Before the new law, rape cases could drag on for years, mainly because of faulty investigations and flawed laws, making it difficult for victims to come forward to share their ordeal.
Backlash in Pakistan as police appear to blame woman for gang rape
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While rights groups celebrated the law, Amnesty International expressed concern at the inclusion of a chemical castration punishment for repeat rape offenders, a process that involves an injection to lower testosterone levels.