23 March 2012. Many victims of torture in Nepal are deprived of proper justice and compensation in the absence of adequate medical evidence confirming torture or other cruel and inhuman treatment on them.
The view to the effect was expressed during a workshop entitled “Medico-legal Examination and its Reports” organized by Advocacy Forum (AF) today, where the participants emphasized on the importance of medico-legal documentation and its report to provide torture survivors with proper justice and compensation. The workshop was attended by the Attorney General (AG), chiefs of the Nepal Bar Association (NBA), Ministry of Health and Population, Division of Health Services (DoHS), TU Teaching Hospital, Psychiatry Department, Forensic expert and representatives from AG office.
The participants held a uniform view on medico-legal examination being an important tool to document, investigate and find facts about torture and other sexual and domestic violence. Its report is considered important evidence in judicial proceedings but due to the lack of proper format on medico-legal examination, justice delivery is much affected, said the participants in the program.
Forensic expert, Dr. Harihar Wasti had presented a detail format of medico-legal examination before the participants prepared by AF and sought their feedbacks on it and demanded that the government pass it without further delay.
In a context when the national regulation has only mentioned about Autopsy report and Case Form, this format on medico-legal examination is expected to provide justice to torture survivors and victims of sexual violence.
