A special court has been formed to deal with cases of harassment against women by the Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Mansoor Ali Shah on Monday. The first case in the court will be heard by Additional and Sessions Judge Rehmat Ali.
100 out of the 400 cases of torture and harassment of women being currently heard in various city courts have been transferred to this court.
Sexual harassment is an under-recognised global human rights violation that disproportionately affects women and girls every day. There is a high risk of sexual victimisation in public spaces in low- and middle-income countries, where women and girls are increasingly entering the public domain.
Pakistan, the sixth most populous country in the world, is ranked 125th out of 169 countries on the Gender Development Index and 99th out of 109 on the Gender Empowerment Measure.