The Lahore High Court recently set up a special bench to hear gender-based violence cases in the city
RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court recently set up a special bench to hear gender-based violence cases in the city. It is a laudable move that cases now will be heard by a special bench formed for this purpose only. To facilitate the complainants, they can now get their statements recorded in a separate room which can then be heard via video link.
However, gender-based violence implies violence committed by one gender against the other, men against women or vice versa. Hence, the bench should include women too as an active member throughout the proceedings, from filing of the complaint till the decision being given by the special bench. Considering that women are mostly at the receiving end of abuse, part of facilitation and provision lies in women being heard by women as that will restore the faith of the relatively marginalised gender in the country’s justice system.
Rabia Zubair
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2017.
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