Virginity Test of Rape Survivors will be abolished

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Lahore, 14th September: Virginity test of sexual assault survivors will be abolished.

According to the report of Baaghi TV, the provincial health authorities have told the Lahore High Court that the two-finger test (TFT), is an old practice of examining sexual assault survivors, which should be abolished now.

The test has limited evidentiary value and will be eliminated from the protocol of a medico-legal certificate (MLC) unless required.

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“It is not objective of the medical examination of a female victim of sexual assault to comment about the character of the examinee neither TFT is being practised with that objective nor it has any strong evidentiary value related to the determination of virginity,” says a joint reply by the Punjab Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department, the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department and surgeon medico-legal Lahore.

The TFT test is a very intrusive and demeaning practice whereby medico-legal officers perform a hymen test and a “two-finger test” as part of medical evaluation of women victims is unreliable and unnecessary and has no scientific basis.

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In this regard, two petitions were filed in the Lahore High Court challenging the TFT for being disrespectful, inhuman and violative to fundamental rights of women.

According to reports from the Dawn, one petition was filed by PML-N MNA Shaista Pervez Malik while the other was filed by women rights activists, academics, journalists and advocates, which included Sadaf Aziz, Farida Shaheed, Farieha Aziz, Farah Zia, Sarah Zaman, Maliha Zia Lari, Dr Aisha Babar and Zainab Husain.

Reportedly, Justice Ayesha A. Malik will resume hearing on the petitions on Nov 6 when the petitioners will appear with their rejoinders.

The test is still used in Pakistan regardless of calls for its cancellation by healthcare professionals and human rights organisations.

Stay tuned to Baaghi TV for all the latest news and updates!

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