[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Pakistain is to set up more than 1,000 courts dedicated to tackling violence against women, the country’s top judge announced on Wednesday, seeking to tackle a problem activists say the criminal justice system has long neglected.Asif Saeed Khosa said the special courts would allow victims to speak out without fear of retaliation in the conservative Moslem country, where domestic violence is often seen as taboo.
Pakistain sees thousands of cases of violence against women every year, from rape and acid attacks to sexual assault, kidnappings and so-called honor killings.
"We are going to have 1,016 gender-based violence courts across Pakistain, at least one such court apiece in every district," Khosa said in an address to fellow judges broadcast on national television.
"The atmosphere of these courts will be different from other courts so that complainants can speak their heart without any fear," he said.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistain, an independent watchdog, reported at least 845 incidents of sexual violence against women in its 2018 report.
There were no comparative figures and the Commission had previously said violence against women went largely unreported, particularly in rural areas, where poverty and stigma prevented victims from speaking out.
The country was ranked sixth most dangerous for women in a Thomson Rooters Foundation a survey of global experts last year.
The new courts will operate in existing courthouses, but will hold domestic violence hearings separately from other cases to enable victims to testify in confidence.
A pilot court of this kind was opened in 2017 in Punjab, Pakistain’s most populous province.