Tests for virginity

It was covered with large tiles probably made of foam or cork-board. Each tile was large and rectangular, an off-white color flecked with grey. From the age of six to 13, Northcote spent a long time staring at it. Once a year, for the longest two minutes in history, she would force herself to concentrate on those tiles right after her doctor repeated the familiar phrase:.

Human rights campaigners have welcomed a decision by a Pakistani court outlawing so-called "virginity tests" in rape examinations. The ruling, which applies in Punjab province, will end the practice of physical checks for an intact hymen and the invasive "two-finger test". The Lahore High Court judge, Ayesha Malik said the tests were "humiliating" and "had no forensic value". Campaigners have long demanded an end to virginity tests as part of the medical evaluation in rape cases, saying they have no scientific basis. Monday's ruling applies in Punjab but may serve as a precedent for petitions in other provincial high courts. A similar petition is currently pending in the Sindh High Court.

Women are being offered controversial "virginity tests" at British medical clinics, an investigation by BBC Newsbeat and Women has found. Critics say they are unscientific, cannot prove whether someone is a virgin and can be a form of abuse. The BBC identified 21 clinics and managed to make inquiries with 16 of them, seven confirmed they offer "virginity testing" and several others would not clarify their position. Data from NHS England shows 69 hymen-repair procedures have been carried out in the past five years.

Malik, allowing two identical petitions against the practice of the objectionable test. The judge also declared that the virginity tests are discriminatory against the female victim as they are carried out on the basis of their gender, therefore offends Article 25 of the Constitution. The judge further declared the guidelines, SOPs and instructions, by the health department and medico legal, to the extent of mandating the two-finger test or the hymen test for the purposes of ascertaining the virginity of the victim are illegal and against the Constitution. She ordered the federation and provincial governments to take necessary steps to ensure that virginity tests are not carried out in medico legal examination of the victims of rape and sexual abuse. The provincial government has also been asked to devise appropriate medico-legal protocols and guidelines, along with SOPs in line with international practice that recognise and manage sensitively the care of victims of sexual violence.