Updated Jan 13, 2021 | 14:05 IST
In a country where rape is vastly underreported and survivors of sexual assault are viewed with suspicion, virginity tests are often ordered as part of police investigations. It was very painful. I didn t know why she was doing it. I wish my mother had been with me. | Photo Credit: iStock Images
Raped at 14, Shazia took the rare and courageous step of reporting the crime to Pakistani police, only to face a traumatic virginity test a long-standing practice that denies justice to victims.
The teenager was still in a daze after she was assaulted by her father s cousin when police forced her to see a doctor, who conducted the invasive medical exam intended to determine whether she had a history of having sex.
Raped at 14, Shazia took the rare and courageous step of reporting the crime to police, only to face a traumatic "virginity test" – a long-standing practice that denies justice to victims