Court Companion on Gender-Based Violence Cases

The Court Companion on Gender-Based Violence Cases navigates international law and Pakistan's domestic legal framework for an analysis of applicable legal norms to make justice more accessible to victims of gender-based violence.

Affecting one in three women in the world, gender-based violence is pervasive but invisible. Social taboos, patriarchal norms and gender-unsensitized legal frameworks prevent victims from attaining justice. This publication is particularly useful for judges, prosecutors and other justice sector stakeholders. It is also for anyone interested in pursuing justice, holding perpetrators accountable, and providing effective redress and reparation to victims of gender-based violence.

Contents 

• Introduction
• The Courts—Constitutional Mandate and Rights Framework
• Barriers to Women Accessing Justice
• Understanding Gender-Based Violence Against Women
• Manifestations of Gender-Based Violence: Sexual Assault, Acid Attacks, and Online Gender-Based Violence
• Manifestations of Gender-Based Violence: Family-Related Gender-Based Violence
• Understanding Gender Discrimination and Gender Equality
• Understanding and Interacting with Victims during the Criminal Process
• The Court Environment
• Evidence and Credibility
• Judgment Writing
• Sentencing, Compensation, and Forgiveness
• Resiling and Attrition
• Institutional Practices, Evaluation, and Monitoring
• Appendixes