Brief – Sexual & Gender Based Violence

Thematic Stream: Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV)

Problem Statement: In Pakistan, there is a consensus on the growing rates of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV). SGBV is a nationwide epidemic  with alarmingly low conviction rates. While SGBV is largely prevalent in the country, due to shame and honor, cases of SGBV are rarely reported to save the family’s name and if reported, solved through out of court settlements. Patriarchal socio-cultural norms and a gender insensitive criminal justice system (CJS) couple to give low convictions rates due to approaches that blame the victim, deploy weak investigation and prosecution procedures, and long protracted trials in uncomfortable environments. As a result, one is left with a system that does nothing to provide the sexual assault survivors with justice and only further compounds their issues resulting in an extremely unequal society.

Despite extensive legislative efforts, there is hardly any implementation of the laws relating to sexual and gender based violence which leads to extremely low conviction rates creating an urgent need to capacitate the criminal justice system and its related actors to work more efficiently and collaboratively while also working towards primary, secondary and tertiary responses to sexual and gender based violence.

Goal:

Strengthening the criminal justice system’s response to investigation and prosecution of SGBV cases by facilitating victims and survivors through victim-centric in-court installations, and working directly with CJS actors to build their capacities.

Programming Approach: Using a multi-pronged approach, LAS works with key stakeholders  to implement changes within the CJS to encourage effective reporting and investigation of SGBV cases. The multi-pronged approach is applied through research (evidence-based research to map out procedural and structural hurdles), advocacy (using research to argue for change and preventative frameworks), capacity building (training and sensitization of key criminal justice system actos such as the police, investigators, prosecutors and judges), and litigation (providing legal services to survivors/victims). 

Target Districts: Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur & ICT.

Components:

Research

With evidence-based research at the core of all our work, LAS conducts extensive research to understand the hurdles that plague the CJS so that the interventions are made according to the loopholes identified through the research. Research is one of the core components at LAS since it feeds into every other component, specifically in the thematic area of SGBV.

Research Products:

Advocacy

Research produced as part of the program is extensively used to advocate for policy changes and implementation at the government level through notification of coordination committees and working with provincial governments to institutionalize response frameworks and policies. LAS helps government functionaries expand the scope of their work beyond the law to initiate primary and tertiary preventative response measures that work together to reduce sexual violence.

Capacity Building

While understanding gaps in service delivery of the CJS is essential, it’s also important to make efforts to fill those gaps. In this regard, LAS works with various government actors to build the capacity of key stakeholders involved in cases related to SGBV. Key stakeholders such as Investigation Officers, Medico-legal officers, Prosecutors, and Judges are all trained to make them aware of laws and to sensitize them on the plight of survivors so they could aid them in getting justice.

Litigation

Lastly, a team of dedicated lawyers also oversees litigation for the program and aids survivors by providing them with legal aid.