Call for special courts for urgent resolution of gender-based violence cases

Presenting a charter of demands for women, speakers at an event on Friday urged the authorities to establish separate courts for urgent resolution of cases related to gender-based violence and to conduct trials with all special protection mechanisms.

Addressing a press conference organised by RASTI, an NGO, speakers said that due to a rise in the number of cases of harrasment and sexual abuses, the government must look at the women’s charter of demands and announce strict punishments in cases of violence against women.

The press conference was held at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s Karachi office.

HRCP’s Khizar Hayat, the Urban Resource Centre’s Zahid Farooq, the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women’s member Darakshan Sauleha, Shaheda Mangi from the Takhleeq Foundation and others attended.

Speakers demanded of the government to introduce a gender-sensitive curriculum and include the topics of early age marriage, sexual abuse and harassment.

Asking the government to introduce a proper reporting mechanism at police stations to ensure that cases related to gender-based violence must be dealt with sensitivity, they demanded that the police force be trained on how to deal with issues related to violence against women. They also urged separate desks for these issues at police stations.

During the investigation of sexual harrasment and abuse cases, the police and judiciary should consider forensic reports as mandatory instead of judgemental evidence, they urged.

They also demanded increasing the number of shelter homes and Darul Amans in order to protect women from violence, besides raising funding of for the Darul Amans.

Speakers also demanded of the government to introduce a nationwide 24/7 helpline for quickly responding to incidents of violence against women.