WAR urges independent inquiry into nurse rape
Karachi:The War Against Rape (WAR) is outraged at the gang-rape incident of a Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Centre’s nursing student on July 13, 2010, on the hospital premises.
WAR sees this incident as an act of sheer barbarism where the accused, in order to cover their tracks, attempted to take the life of the survivor by pushing her off the building, due to which she suffered serious injuries.
The fact that the main accused is an ex-medico-legal officer is a matter of deep concern, the group said. The audacity, with which the perpetrators committed this act inside the hospital, brings to light the utter failure of monitoring systems and the failure to provide a safe working environment to women.
Reports of sexual assault of nursing students in hospitals by senior doctors are made every year across Pakistan. Cases of sexual harassment are even more common in these settings. They typically demonstrate the abuse of power by those in influential positions by committing human rights violations apparently without any fear of accountability and punishment.
The survivor and her family in this case have recently expressed that they are under immense pressure to withdraw charges. The WAR demanded that the government ensures complete protection for the survivor and her family, conduct an impartial investigation, arrest the remaining perpetrators of this heinous crime and take the case to its logical end.
The WAR also urged the government, especially the social welfare and women’s development departments, to take every measure for the quick recovery of the survivor and her family and to make sincere efforts for their rehabilitation.
WAR also demanded that policies should be put in place that prescribe penalties for those abusing authority by harassing students and other staff members.
The government, especially the Health Department, should conduct an inquiry into existing power structures in hospital settings that cause a perpetuation of such crimes and what kind of mechanisms are there for those being harassed or assaulted to report and what actions have been taken so far to stem out this problem.
The group also urged that the government make DNA testing facilities available at public hospitals in Karachi to expedite the process of investigation and to minimise contamination of vital evidence.The news
