Content Warning: Description of rape and sexual assault
How is DNA evidence collected for rape cases? What is a rape kit? Who performs medical examinations on rape survivors?
To answer all your questions about medico-legal examinations in rape and sexual assault cases, we are pleased to feature one of the sharpest and most discerning legal minds of our time when it comes to gender-based and sexual violence, Mr. Sohail Akbar Warraich. He obtained his LL.M from the University of Warwick in Law and Development in 2001. A meticulous researcher, Sohail Akbar Warraich, has been working for over 25 years on law and policy reform relating to personal status laws and issues of violence against women. He has served as the Pakistan Country Researcher for Amnesty International as well as a member of the National Commission on the Status of Women. In his work with Shirkat Gah, he has headed advice and litigation in family law and violence against women, among others, and has conducted several paralegal training, provided input on policies on women’s rights and advocacy initiatives. He has trained judges on the recently established gender-based violence courts. He is also actively involved with Ajoka Theatre and is an illustrative actor working to create awareness on social issues through drama and arts.
Pakistan has recently reformed its anti-rape laws introducing new mechanisms for investigation and trial methods. There is a lot of mystification and controversy around DNA evidence and its collection methods. Based on his years of on-the-ground research, Sohail Warraich breaks down and explains the crucial process of medico-legal examination in rape cases in this video, Part II of III. Who can perform this examination? Where? How? And when? What are the SOPs? Most importantly, what are your rights in this process as a complainant?
Proper and timely administration of a medico-legal examination can make or break a case. Watch this video to understand the do’s and don’ts of presenting yourself for a medico-legal examination. What can you do to prevent the loss of evidence? What should you tell the doctor? What does the law say about the two-finger test? And other questions.
