South Asian Women, Girls Need Responsive Legal System to Gender Violence

A woman is advised by a BLAST counsellor. The organization offers legal support, including providing information, advice, and free legal representation. Credit: BLASTBy Ranjit DevrajNEW DELHI, Dec 21 2023 (IPS) Criminal justice systems in South Asia are failing women, despite stark statistics on the prevalence of violence. WHO estimates translate to one in every two women and girls in the region experiencing violence daily. Nawmi Naz Chowdhury, a Global Legal Advisor at Equality Now, told a webinar titled ‘Future of Legal Aid in South Asia for Sexual Violence Offenses Against Women and Girls: Lessons from the Past Five Years’ that women and girls experience indifference and neglect at all levels, and there are gaps in legal protections that leave them vulnerable to sexual violence. Where laws do exist, common failures in implementation effectively prevent survivors from accessing justice. Research by Equality Now, Dignity Alliance International, and partners has revealed that sexual violence laws in South Asian countries are insufficient, inconsistent, and not systematically enforced, leading to extremely low conviction rates for rape. Long delays in medical examinations, police investigations, prosecutions, and trials are widespread. Survivors often have difficulties filing cases with the police and face community pressure to withdraw criminal complaints and accept informal mediation. Other protection gaps in legal systems include overly burdensome or discriminatory evid...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Asia-Pacific Development & Aid Featured Gender Gender Violence Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Population Sustainable Development Goals TerraViva United Nations Women's Health Youth IPS UN Bureau IPS UN Bureau Repo Source Type: news