Shortage of female MLOs stalls GBV cases
For any criminal investigation to proceed in the correct direction, a timely collection of samples is of utmost importance. Yet when it comes to cases of gender-based violence (GBV) the unavailability of a female medico-legal officer (MLO) can be the one factor determining the course of a victim's journey to justice.
For a medico-legal report, samples of the victim of rape, domestic violence or assault are sent to the Sindh Forensic DNA Laboratory at the University of Karachi to verify the incident. Unfortunately, however, due to the lack of female MLOs in hospitals across the port city, survivors of gender-based abuse are unable to get timely legal aid, allowing many of the accused to escape with impunity.
According to sources, medico-legal services are functional in only three government hospitals in the city namely the Jinnah, Civil and Abbasi Shaheed Hospitals, which collectively report 21 to 24 rape cases and 64 to 75 cases of domestic abuse on a daily basis. Despite these numbers, only 20 female medico-legal officers are deployed in Karachi, which is home to a population of nearly 10 million women. The absence of a female MLO delays the investigation of cases involving various forms of violence against women, denying justice to the victims.
A victim of domestic violence from Nazimabad, ended up at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for treatment of her injuries after a routine scuffle with her husband turned violent. "At the hospital, I was told that there is no female MLO present. After tolerating his beatings, I wanted to sue my husband however, I was unable to share my experiences with a male MLO. The timely filing of a medico-legal report can facilitate justice since domestic violence cases are decided in light of the MLO's report," said the victim, who was eventually forced to reconcile with her cruel husband.
According to Advocate Abid Zaman, the report prepared by a medico-legal officer is crucial in cases of rape, domestic violence and assault or murder. "Injuries caused by domestic violence are determined in the medical report while the cause of death is also mentioned. MLO's take sensitive samples of the victim to investigate the case and can also predict their sexual history. The medico-legal report is very important in cases of sexual violence, since it is presented in court as basic evidence which directly influences the decision of the case. In a rape case, the MLO report along with the statements of witnesses is the strongest evidence," noted Zaman.
Dr Summaiya Tariq, Karachi Police Surgeon, further revealed that delays in the preparation of the manual medico-legal report led to complications in cases under trial, a problem which could be resolved after digitization. "Once the digitization is done, reports will be sent to the courts immediately. In 2023, the Sindh Medico-Legal Act was introduced in Sindh, but its rules and procedures are being finalized. Nearly 730 cases of rape and violence against women were reported in 2024. For 2025, the figures will be released in December," said Dr Tariq.
"Work has been started on the digitization of the MLO department. Once this is achieved the medico-legal report will be immediately sent to the police and the courts through a computer. This will ensure that cases under trial in the courts are not delayed and justice is guaranteed to the aggrieved women immediately," she added.