officer, or any other individual the survivor deems appropriate. Survivors with
disabilities should be provided with government-supported interpretation services,
if necessary, and the investigating officer along with a female police officer should
escort the survivor to a timely medical examination.
According to human rights monitors, many survivors did not report rapes due to
lack of access to legal services, social stigma, fear of further harassment, and the
legal requirement to produce witnesses. The burden is on the rape survivor to
prove a rape occurred, using medical evidence.
Other Forms of Gender-based Violence: Some media and NGOs reported
violence against women related to disputes concerning dowries, despite dowry
demands being illegal. By law, an individual convicted of demanding or giving a
dowry may be imprisoned for up to five years, fined, or both. ASK found 174
incidents of dowry-related violence against women, with 79 women killed because
of dowry disputes.
ASK reported there were six incidents of fatwa used to target women. A Supreme
Court Appellate Division ruling allows the use of fatwas (religious edicts) only to
settle religious matters; fatwas may not be invoked to justify punishment, nor may
they supersede secular law. Islamic tradition dictates only those religious scholars
with expertise in Islamic law may declare a fatwa. Despite these restrictions,
village religious leaders sometimes made such declarations. The declarations
resulted in extrajudicial punishments, often against women, for perceived moral
transgressions.
Incidents of vigilantism against women occurred, sometimes led by religious
leaders enforcing fatwas. The incidents included whipping, beating, and other
forms of physical violence.
Assailants threw acid in the faces of survivors, usually women, leaving them
disfigured and often blind. Acid attacks were frequently related to a woman’s
refusal to accept a marriage proposal or were related to land or other money
disputes. A total of 13 acid attacks were reported.
Sexual Harassment: Although sexual harassment is prohibited by a 2009 High
Court ruling, harassment, also known as “Eve teasing,” was common according to
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