In Pakistan, torture is a crime in law, but women victims are denied justice

Shazia Mehboob

 Alleging torture by her husband and in-laws, the victim Salama* has appealed to the Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shahbaz and DIG and CPO Rawalpindi Syed Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari to take notice of the violence against her and the discriminatory attitude of the investigators to ensure justice for her.  It is a point of concern to be noted here that the DV victim has no shelter and no protection to protect her and her son from violence.

ISLAMABAD: International Day in Support of Victims of Torture will be observed on June 26 across the globe, including Pakistan, to remind people that human torture is a crime against humanity and under no circumstances it should be acceptable.

Pakistan too marks June 26 as International Day in Support of Victims of Torture every year. The day is annually observed to speak out against torture and to stand in alliance with the victims and survivors of torture throughout the world.

On this Day, policymakers reaffirm their commitment to escalate work in order to prevent women from being tortured. However, inherent inadequacies in the system together with proper legal support for victims in cases of torture means that despite the law and the good intentions of those at the top, women victims are denied justice.

One such example of failings in the system is the case of a 19-year-old victim of torture Salma*, a resident of Rawalpindi. She was not only beaten up by her husband and in-laws but also thrown out of the house and divorced. The young victim was forced to take shelter along with her one-year-old son because of threats to her life.

Sadly, in our society, torture of women by husbands and in-laws continues to be an acceptable norm, deeply-rooted in pro-patriarchal society. Although the country has strong laws to protect women from domestic violence and abuse, the abuse of women remains rife according to Advocate Agha Sajid Shah.

Referencing a recent incident of domestic violence in Rawalpindi, Advocate Sajid said the DV victim was severally subjected to physical torture with visible torture marks and injuries on the victim’s face in video and pictures circulated on social media, yet a case against the husband could not be registered, even after three months, because of a poor medical report.

He said that the medical had taken two to three weeks by which the injuries had been healed. The investigation officer of the DV case says the case that due to a weak medical report, the case could not be registered.

An estimated 40 per cent of cases in courts today are family cases according to Advocate Agha Sajid, a senior advocate dealing with family cases for the last 13 years. He said the number of cases is on the rise in society, but poor coordination mechanisms and lack of will on the part of law enforcers, together with political influence, discourage women to approach police and courts for justice.

Alleging torture by her husband and in-laws, the victim Salama* has appealed to the Chief Minister of Punjab Hamza Shahbaz and DIG and CPO Rawalpindi Syed Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari to take notice of the violence against her and the discriminatory attitude of the investigators to ensure justice for her.  It is a point of concern to be noted here that the DV victim has no shelter and no protection to protect her and her son from violence.

The International Day gives everyone a chance to unite and voice their opinions against human torture. Organizations such as the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims and Amnesty International have played an active role in organizing events around the world to promote the Day.

Activities include photo exhibitions; the distribution of posters and other materials to raise people’s awareness of issues related to human torture whilst also placing television advertisements for this purpose. On June 26, 1987, the Convention against Torture came into force. It was an important step in the process of globalizing human rights and acknowledging that torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment should be universally illegal.

In 1997 the United Nations General Assembly decided to mark this historic date and designated June 26 each year as the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

The first International Day in Support of Victims of Torture was held on June 26, 1998. It was a day when the United Nations appealed to all governments and members of civil society to take action to defeat torture and torturers everywhere.

That same year marked the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which proclaims that “no one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”.

The authorities must live up to their commitments to make sure that the victims of torture and abuse are granted justice whilst the perpetrators are not allowed to escape punishment by law. Mere empty sound bites are simply not sufficient. Concerted action is required all around to prevent torture and abuse in the first place but to protect victims when sadly it does happen.