Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Pakistan province bans invasive test for rape victims

Authorities in Pakistan's most populous province on Saturday (14) banned an outdated medical procedure in which rape victims are subjected to an invasive physical examination.

The move comes after critics of the "two-finger test" this year sued the government of Punjab province, home to about 110 million people, in a bid to stop the practice dating back to the time of British colonial rule.


Proponents of the internal examination claim it can assess a woman's sexual promiscuity and her "honour", and whether she had been "habituated to sexual intercourse".

Backlash to the test has been growing in recent years, with critics saying it provides zero useful information and is traumatic for rape victims.

Punjab health authorities in September admitted the test held "limited evidentiary value" but the practice continued.

Saturday's ban, which takes immediate effect across Punjab, effectively preempts the ongoing court case.

A similar case is also underway in the southern province of Sindh with momentum growing for a nationwide ban.

Welcoming Punjab's ban, Sidra Humayun, a case manager for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, told AFP it would be a challenge to ensure compliance by medical workers.

The mentality that still "links the reliability of a rape victim's claims to her virtue and honour" in legal cases also must be addressed, she added.

The World Health Organization has declared the test "unscientific, medically unnecessary and unreliable".

Neighbouring India banned the two-finger test in 2013 and Bangladesh followed suit in 2018.

Sameer Khosa, the lawyer behind Punjab's court petition, welcomed the ban but said other problematic practices such as virginity testing through the examination of the hymen are still being performed.

Pakistan is a deeply conservative and patriarchal nation where victims of sexual abuse often are too afraid to speak out, or where police frequently fail to investigate cases seriously.

More For You

McDonald's-UK-Getty

General view of a McDonald's restaurant on Market Street on July 20, 2023 in Manchester. (Photo: Getty Images)

McDonald's UK faces harassment lawsuit from over 700 young workers

MORE than 700 young workers have filed a lawsuit against McDonald's UK, alleging harassment, law firm Leigh Day announced on Tuesday.

The claims follow a 2023 media investigation that exposed widespread issues within the company.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK-snow-Getty

A car is driven along the snow-covered Woodhead pass between Woodhead and Homlfirth, in the Peak District in northern England on January 7. (Photo: Getty Images)

Record cold expected as flood warnings persist

THE COUNTRY is experiencing a spell of wintry weather, with temperatures expected to drop significantly over the next two days, potentially reaching as low as -20 degrees Celsius in some areas.

The BBC reported that weather forecasters predict the coldest nights of the year, following heavy snowfall over the weekend.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sanghera: Enablers let abuse flourish at Harrods and Church
Jasvinder Sanghera (Photo by Jon Bond - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sanghera: Enablers let abuse flourish at Harrods and Church

A PROMINENT British Asian campaigner against forced marriages and abuse, has spoken out about her recent work tackling two major British institutional abuse cases, while reflecting on her own journey from surviving honour abuse to becoming a national advocate for victims.

Dame Jasvinder Sanghera, who currently serves as an independent advocate for nearly 300 people who have accused former Harrods owner Mohamed Fayed of abuse, says the department store case reveals a pattern of enablers.

Keep ReadingShow less
india-us-nuclear-talks

India's external affairs minister S Jaishankar with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, in Delhi. (Photo: ANI)

India, US advance talks on civil nuclear cooperation

THE UNITED STATES is finalising steps to clear hurdles for civil nuclear partnership with Indian firms, US national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said on Monday (6), seeking to give fresh momentum to a landmark deal between the two countries.

Washington and New Delhi have been discussing the supply of US nuclear reactors to energy-hungry India since the mid-2000s.

Keep ReadingShow less
tulip-siddiq-city-minister
Tulip Siddiq

Tulip Siddiq self-refers to ethics watchdog over property claims

TREASURY minister Tulip Siddiq has asked the prime minister's ethics watchdog to examine claims about her use of two London flats, amid growing questions about property arrangements linked to her family's connections in Bangladesh.

The minister, who oversees anti-corruption efforts in Britain's financial sector, has stepped back from a planned China visit to assist with the inquiry.

Keep ReadingShow less