By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Cabinet on Tuesday approved in principle two critical ordinances to deal holistically with the menace of rape and child abuse for introducing necessary amendments in the Pakistan Penal Code.
The two approved bills included “The Anti-Rape (Investigation & Trial) Ordinance 2020 & the Pakistan Penal Code (Amendment) Ordinance 2020”, Minister for Human Rights Dr.Shrieen M Mazari tweeted.
She said Cabinet Committee for the disposal of Legislative Cases (CCLC) would finalize and it should become operational in next few days.
The minister said the bills included an expansive definition of rape, establishment of special courts, anti-rape crisis cells, protection of victims and witnesses, prohibition of the “two-finger” test etc. These Ordinances were badly needed, she said.
Earlier September 14th, Prime Minister Imran Khan said rapists should be handed down the most severe punishments to curb rising sexual violence in the country, such as either hanging them publicly or chemically castrating them.
“They (rapists) should be given exemplary punishments. In my opinion, they should be hanged at the chowk (piazza),” he said, adding that this punishment should be reserved for rapists and those who abuse children. “Unfortunately, when we had the discussion, [we were] told it would not be internationally acceptable,” he said of public hangings. “They said the GSP-Plus trade status given to us by the European Union will be affected.”
He said another option was to “chemically or surgically castrate” rapists, according to the degree of the crime, “as is done by many countries”.
