Virginity test: Pakistani court rule against using 'two fingers' to test if woman be virgin
Human rights campaigners don welcome one decision by one Pakistani regional court to ban so-called "virginity tests" wey dem dey do during rape examinations.
Di ruling, wey apply to Punjab province, go end di practice of physical checks for an intact hymen and di invasive "two-finger test". Di Lahore High Court judge, Ayesha Malik say di tests dey "humiliating" and "e no get forensic value". Di ruling follow two petitions wey human rights activist for Punjab province bin file. Campaigners don since bin dey demand an end to virginity tests as part of di medical evaluation for rape cases, say te no get scientific basis. Dis new ruling fit serve as basis for petitions for oda provincial high courts. One similar petition currently dey pend for di Sindh High Court. Wetin be two-finger test? Dem dey perform di "two-finger test" manually as dem go insert one or two fingers inside woman vagina to test whether hymen still dey dia - in theory to determine whether or not di woman still dey sexually active and to what extent. Some doctors claim say di test fit determine if dem don penetrate woman for di first time, and dem don use di test to discredit victims of rape wey dem judge say dem don get too many sexual experience. Di World Health Organisation don tok about dis test, say e no get any scientific basis and e dey violate human rights. For her ruling, Justice Malik say di test dey "highly invasive" and get "no scientific or medical requirement". "Na humiliating practice, wey dem dey use to suspect di victim, instead make dem focusing on di accused and di incident of sexual violence," she tok. Sahar Bandial, one of di lawyers wey file di petition for di Lahore case, say dem dey use di test to discredit women based on unscientific assessments of dia sexual history