Latest items for LRW-LAW-3
March 30, 2024, 2:46 p.m.
Countries: Lithuania
Variables: LRW-LAW-3, DV-LAW-3
"[W]omen who have been victims of gender - based violence, including domestic violence, would no longer be obligated to testify in court in the related criminal trial" (2).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3, DV-LAW-3
"[W]omen who have been victims of gender - based violence, including domestic violence, would no longer be obligated to testify in court in the related criminal trial" (2).
Jan. 4, 2024, 10:41 a.m.
Countries: Singapore
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"[T]he defence [is prevented] from questioning an alleged victim of a sexual offence, or adducing evidence, about the alleged victim’s physical appearance or sexual behaviour that is unrelated to the charge, except with the Court’s permission" (36).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"[T]he defence [is prevented] from questioning an alleged victim of a sexual offence, or adducing evidence, about the alleged victim’s physical appearance or sexual behaviour that is unrelated to the charge, except with the Court’s permission" (36).
Jan. 4, 2024, 10:10 a.m.
Countries: Singapore
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"[A]lleged victims of sexual offences to give evidence via video-link [is allowed]. [T]he Court [is mandated to] hold hearings in camera while alleged victims of sexual offences are testifying, unless the alleged victims choose otherwise. [V]ideo-recorded statements of alleged victims of sexual offences [is allowed] to be admitted in evidence in lieu of oral testimony. [T]he use of shielding measures for alleged victims of sexual offences to give evidence without seeing the accused [is allowed]. [A] person [is prohibited] from publishing any information, or doing any act, that may lead to the identification of a complainant or an alleged victim of a sexual offence, where the person knows that the...more
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"[A]lleged victims of sexual offences to give evidence via video-link [is allowed]. [T]he Court [is mandated to] hold hearings in camera while alleged victims of sexual offences are testifying, unless the alleged victims choose otherwise. [V]ideo-recorded statements of alleged victims of sexual offences [is allowed] to be admitted in evidence in lieu of oral testimony. [T]he use of shielding measures for alleged victims of sexual offences to give evidence without seeing the accused [is allowed]. [A] person [is prohibited] from publishing any information, or doing any act, that may lead to the identification of a complainant or an alleged victim of a sexual offence, where the person knows that the...more
Aug. 15, 2023, 5:22 p.m.
Countries: Bahamas
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"While a victim’s consent is an insufficient defense against allegations of statutory rape, it is a sufficient defense if the accused had “reasonable cause” to believe the victim was older than age 16, provided the accused was younger than age 18" (13).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"While a victim’s consent is an insufficient defense against allegations of statutory rape, it is a sufficient defense if the accused had “reasonable cause” to believe the victim was older than age 16, provided the accused was younger than age 18" (13).
July 10, 2023, 9:26 p.m.
Countries: Maldives
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"An Evidence Bill has been drafted and is in the pipeline to be submitted to the Parliament. The Evidence Bill will include provisions with respect to protection of witnesses and ensuring non-discrimination therein. The Evidence Bill has been much delayed due to the need to align the bill with Criminal Procedure Act and Penal Code but it remains as a priority of the Government. The passage of this bill will complete the reform process of criminal justice framework." (32).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"An Evidence Bill has been drafted and is in the pipeline to be submitted to the Parliament. The Evidence Bill will include provisions with respect to protection of witnesses and ensuring non-discrimination therein. The Evidence Bill has been much delayed due to the need to align the bill with Criminal Procedure Act and Penal Code but it remains as a priority of the Government. The passage of this bill will complete the reform process of criminal justice framework." (32).
June 27, 2023, 11:15 p.m.
Countries: Algeria
Variables: LRW-LAW-3, DV-LAW-3
"The testimony of men and women has equal weight under the law" (8).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3, DV-LAW-3
"The testimony of men and women has equal weight under the law" (8).
Feb. 18, 2023, 10:18 a.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Police and prosecutors have been told to stop the mass collection of personal information from rape victims or face being fined by the UK’s data watchdog" (Para.1). "The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said they must immediately stop getting complainants in rape and serious sexual offence cases to sign forms, known in England and Wales as Stafford statements, which give officers general consent to obtain often highly sensitive third-party materials, including medical, education and counselling records" (Para.2). "Rape prosecutions fell nearly 60% in four years to 2,102 in 2019-20 even as the number of reports to police increased. Figures published last year showed the proportion of rape complainants dropping out of...more
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Police and prosecutors have been told to stop the mass collection of personal information from rape victims or face being fined by the UK’s data watchdog" (Para.1). "The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said they must immediately stop getting complainants in rape and serious sexual offence cases to sign forms, known in England and Wales as Stafford statements, which give officers general consent to obtain often highly sensitive third-party materials, including medical, education and counselling records" (Para.2). "Rape prosecutions fell nearly 60% in four years to 2,102 in 2019-20 even as the number of reports to police increased. Figures published last year showed the proportion of rape complainants dropping out of...more
Feb. 4, 2023, 6:14 p.m.
Countries: Namibia
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The Bill aims to amend the Combating of Rape Act, Act No.8 of 2000, the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977, and the Combating of Immoral Practices Act, 1980 so as to provide additional coercive circumstances for rape; clarify that the minimum sentences for rape apply equally to attempted rape; to assign the highest category of minimum sentences for the rape of persons with physical, mental disabilities or other vulnerabilities; impose upon the court the duty not to regard the testimony of a child as inherently unreliable or to treat it with special caution simply because the witness is a child; ensure the admissibility of previous statements by child witnesses and to...more
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The Bill aims to amend the Combating of Rape Act, Act No.8 of 2000, the Criminal Procedure Act, 1977, and the Combating of Immoral Practices Act, 1980 so as to provide additional coercive circumstances for rape; clarify that the minimum sentences for rape apply equally to attempted rape; to assign the highest category of minimum sentences for the rape of persons with physical, mental disabilities or other vulnerabilities; impose upon the court the duty not to regard the testimony of a child as inherently unreliable or to treat it with special caution simply because the witness is a child; ensure the admissibility of previous statements by child witnesses and to...more
Feb. 23, 2022, 3:02 p.m.
Countries: Senegal
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The law allows the common practice of using a woman’s sexual history to defend men accused of rape" (14).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The law allows the common practice of using a woman’s sexual history to defend men accused of rape" (14).
Feb. 5, 2022, 9:24 a.m.
Countries: Mozambique
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"...A judge may order a trial closed to media in the interest of national security, to protect the privacy of the plaintiff in a sexual assault case, or to prevent interested parties outside the court from destroying evidence" (6).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"...A judge may order a trial closed to media in the interest of national security, to protect the privacy of the plaintiff in a sexual assault case, or to prevent interested parties outside the court from destroying evidence" (6).
Jan. 6, 2022, 12:09 p.m.
Countries: Somalia
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Women can be legal witnesses. However, in Islam two women are equal to one man's testimony. In other words, two different women's testimony are needed, whereas in court one man is enough" (1).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Women can be legal witnesses. However, in Islam two women are equal to one man's testimony. In other words, two different women's testimony are needed, whereas in court one man is enough" (1).
Nov. 17, 2021, 8:27 p.m.
Countries: Singapore
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Victims of sexual crimes may video-record their testimony instead of having to recount it in person. Victims may testify in closeddoor hearings, with physical screens to shield them from the accused person. Lawyers may not ask questions about a victim’s sexual history, unless the court grants them permission to do so" (21).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Victims of sexual crimes may video-record their testimony instead of having to recount it in person. Victims may testify in closeddoor hearings, with physical screens to shield them from the accused person. Lawyers may not ask questions about a victim’s sexual history, unless the court grants them permission to do so" (21).
Nov. 3, 2021, 9:38 a.m.
Countries: Afghanistan
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The Criminal Procedure Code been ratified in 2014. Discriminatory human rights violating elements have been taken out and new provisions regarding protection of women’s rights were included. The criminal procedures law enriches specific provisions on the victim’s rights and protection of evidence" (6). "Chapters 5 and 7 of the Criminal Procedure Code provides witness protection measures which range from physical to psychological protection" (6). "Witnesses may approach the prosecution and the court to apply for protective measures before and during trial (Article 55(1) of the CPC). They do so by submitting their application to the prosecution and court in a sealed envelope, which the prosecution and court shall both review...more
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The Criminal Procedure Code been ratified in 2014. Discriminatory human rights violating elements have been taken out and new provisions regarding protection of women’s rights were included. The criminal procedures law enriches specific provisions on the victim’s rights and protection of evidence" (6). "Chapters 5 and 7 of the Criminal Procedure Code provides witness protection measures which range from physical to psychological protection" (6). "Witnesses may approach the prosecution and the court to apply for protective measures before and during trial (Article 55(1) of the CPC). They do so by submitting their application to the prosecution and court in a sealed envelope, which the prosecution and court shall both review...more
Aug. 27, 2021, 2:01 p.m.
Countries: United Kingdom
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The 195-page report also slammed the CPS for launching unnecessary 'digital strip searches' of victims' online and phone records, and making intrusive bids for their medical records. In 39 per cent of relevant cases, requests for personal information were not 'proportionate' to the investigation. But the report cleared the CPS of campaigners' charges that it was a 'risk-averse' agency that only pursued cases with strong evidence. Two per cent of cases saw the test for stopping the probe incorrectly applied, down from 10 per cent of cases three years ago" (para 18-20).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The 195-page report also slammed the CPS for launching unnecessary 'digital strip searches' of victims' online and phone records, and making intrusive bids for their medical records. In 39 per cent of relevant cases, requests for personal information were not 'proportionate' to the investigation. But the report cleared the CPS of campaigners' charges that it was a 'risk-averse' agency that only pursued cases with strong evidence. Two per cent of cases saw the test for stopping the probe incorrectly applied, down from 10 per cent of cases three years ago" (para 18-20).
May 18, 2021, 6:32 p.m.
Countries: Pakistan
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Sahar Bandial, one of the lawyers who filed the petition in the Lahore case, said the tests were used to discredit women based on unscientific assessments of their sexual history" (para 14). "But invasive 'virginity tests' continue in Pakistan, and remain legal in parts of the country not affected by the ruling in Lahore. The practice has been in force in the South Asian region since the colonial era and has been documented in at least 20 countries worldwide, according to the UN and WHO" (para 19).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Sahar Bandial, one of the lawyers who filed the petition in the Lahore case, said the tests were used to discredit women based on unscientific assessments of their sexual history" (para 14). "But invasive 'virginity tests' continue in Pakistan, and remain legal in parts of the country not affected by the ruling in Lahore. The practice has been in force in the South Asian region since the colonial era and has been documented in at least 20 countries worldwide, according to the UN and WHO" (para 19).
Feb. 17, 2021, 7:56 p.m.
Countries: Pakistan
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Recently, the three accused of raping an 18-year old woman at Jinnah’s Mausoleum were set free by a court in Karachi. The court refused to entertain the DNA evidence, which reportedly proved the guilt of the accused, and gave the accused the benefit of the doubt because the victim could not produce four eyewitnesses to the rape. Weeks later, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) decreed that the DNA evidence in the absence of four righteous men as witnesses to rape is not sufficient for conviction under Islamic law" (para 1). "The requirement to produce four witnesses, and not just male witnesses, is required by the Quran to prevent false...more
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Recently, the three accused of raping an 18-year old woman at Jinnah’s Mausoleum were set free by a court in Karachi. The court refused to entertain the DNA evidence, which reportedly proved the guilt of the accused, and gave the accused the benefit of the doubt because the victim could not produce four eyewitnesses to the rape. Weeks later, the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) decreed that the DNA evidence in the absence of four righteous men as witnesses to rape is not sufficient for conviction under Islamic law" (para 1). "The requirement to produce four witnesses, and not just male witnesses, is required by the Quran to prevent false...more
Dec. 7, 2020, 10:23 a.m.
Countries: Ireland
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
“Women across Ireland could go on strike over how rape trials are conducted after a jury were told a 17-year-old's underwear suggested consent, an Irish MP has revealed” (para 1). “The lawyer of a 27-year-old man who has been cleared of rape, argued that the trial should consider whether the young woman's clothing and lace thong meant she had consented to sex” (para 2). “Ms Coppinger [an Irish MP] said that defence teams in past rape cases have used clothing, fake fan and type of contraception as validation of consent” (para 8). “It has been suggested by political party Sinn Fein that it intends to amend the sexual offences bill...more
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
“Women across Ireland could go on strike over how rape trials are conducted after a jury were told a 17-year-old's underwear suggested consent, an Irish MP has revealed” (para 1). “The lawyer of a 27-year-old man who has been cleared of rape, argued that the trial should consider whether the young woman's clothing and lace thong meant she had consented to sex” (para 2). “Ms Coppinger [an Irish MP] said that defence teams in past rape cases have used clothing, fake fan and type of contraception as validation of consent” (para 8). “It has been suggested by political party Sinn Fein that it intends to amend the sexual offences bill...more
Oct. 3, 2020, 6:13 p.m.
Countries: Croatia
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
“Mraović v. Croatia (14 May 2020): This case concerned a balancing of the applicant’s right to a public hearing in proceedings against him on charges of rape and the victim’s right to the protection of her private life. The applicant complained that the domestic courts had justified excluding the public from the hearing of his case merely by the need to protect the victim’s private life, without balancing this against his right to a public hearing. Nor had the domestic courts ever explained why it had been necessary to exclude the public from the entire proceedings, instead of just from certain hearings. The Court held that there had been no...more
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
“Mraović v. Croatia (14 May 2020): This case concerned a balancing of the applicant’s right to a public hearing in proceedings against him on charges of rape and the victim’s right to the protection of her private life. The applicant complained that the domestic courts had justified excluding the public from the hearing of his case merely by the need to protect the victim’s private life, without balancing this against his right to a public hearing. Nor had the domestic courts ever explained why it had been necessary to exclude the public from the entire proceedings, instead of just from certain hearings. The Court held that there had been no...more
Oct. 1, 2020, 9:54 a.m.
Countries: Sweden
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Police and courts often query a victim's story if she did not retaliate, but there is growing evidence that many victims experience temporary paralysis when raped" (para 12).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"Police and courts often query a victim's story if she did not retaliate, but there is growing evidence that many victims experience temporary paralysis when raped" (para 12).
Sept. 29, 2020, 4:42 p.m.
Countries: Finland
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The council said that as a consequence, 'not all forms of sexual violence are criminalised in Finland…Other consequences include the requirement of higher thresholds of evidentiary standards of physical resistance and a shifting of the focus on to the victim's behaviour rather than the accused's actions'" (para 6).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"The council said that as a consequence, 'not all forms of sexual violence are criminalised in Finland…Other consequences include the requirement of higher thresholds of evidentiary standards of physical resistance and a shifting of the focus on to the victim's behaviour rather than the accused's actions'" (para 6).
Sept. 26, 2020, 10:54 p.m.
Countries: Netherlands
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-3, LRW-PRACTICE-1, LRW-LAW-1, LRW-LAW-3, LRW-DATA-1
“X and Y v. the Netherlands (no. 8978/80) (26 March 1985): A girl with a mental handicap (the second applicant) was raped, in the home for children with mental disabilities where she lived, the day after her sixteenth birthday (which was the age of consent for sexual intercourse in the Netherlands) by a relative of the person in charge. She was traumatised by the experience but deemed unfit to sign an official complaint given her low mental age. Her father (the first applicant) signed in her place, but proceedings were not brought against the perpetrator because the girl had to make the complaint herself. The domestic courts recognised that there...more
Variables: DACH-PRACTICE-3, LRW-PRACTICE-1, LRW-LAW-1, LRW-LAW-3, LRW-DATA-1
“X and Y v. the Netherlands (no. 8978/80) (26 March 1985): A girl with a mental handicap (the second applicant) was raped, in the home for children with mental disabilities where she lived, the day after her sixteenth birthday (which was the age of consent for sexual intercourse in the Netherlands) by a relative of the person in charge. She was traumatised by the experience but deemed unfit to sign an official complaint given her low mental age. Her father (the first applicant) signed in her place, but proceedings were not brought against the perpetrator because the girl had to make the complaint herself. The domestic courts recognised that there...more
June 28, 2020, 7:05 p.m.
Countries: Spain
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"They were cleared of more serious charges because there was no evidence violence was used" (para 7). "Because of the way the law currently works, if women are too scared to fight back (or are physically incapable of it) sex attacks will not be considered rape" (para 8).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"They were cleared of more serious charges because there was no evidence violence was used" (para 7). "Because of the way the law currently works, if women are too scared to fight back (or are physically incapable of it) sex attacks will not be considered rape" (para 8).
April 24, 2020, 9:25 p.m.
Countries: Nigeria
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"By common law women and non-Muslims may testify in civil or criminal proceedings and give testimony that carries the same weight as testimony of other witnesses. Sharia courts usually accorded the testimony of women and non- Muslims less weight than that of Muslim men. Some sharia court judges allowed Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor different evidentiary requirements for male and female defendants to prove adultery or fornication. Pregnancy, for example, was admissible evidence of a woman’s adultery or fornication in some sharia courts. In contrast, sharia courts could convict men only if they confessed...more
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"By common law women and non-Muslims may testify in civil or criminal proceedings and give testimony that carries the same weight as testimony of other witnesses. Sharia courts usually accorded the testimony of women and non- Muslims less weight than that of Muslim men. Some sharia court judges allowed Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor different evidentiary requirements for male and female defendants to prove adultery or fornication. Pregnancy, for example, was admissible evidence of a woman’s adultery or fornication in some sharia courts. In contrast, sharia courts could convict men only if they confessed...more
April 1, 2020, 6:28 p.m.
Countries: Pakistan
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"In 2016 Parliament passed a new antirape law that provides for collection of DNA evidence and includes nondisclosure of a rape victim’s name, the right to legal representation of rape victims, and enhanced penalties for rape of victims with mental or physical disabilities" (37). "The law requires a victim to complain directly to a sessions court, which is considered a trial court for heinous offenses. After recording the victim’s statement, the sessions court judge officially lodges a complaint, after which police may then make arrests" (38).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"In 2016 Parliament passed a new antirape law that provides for collection of DNA evidence and includes nondisclosure of a rape victim’s name, the right to legal representation of rape victims, and enhanced penalties for rape of victims with mental or physical disabilities" (37). "The law requires a victim to complain directly to a sessions court, which is considered a trial court for heinous offenses. After recording the victim’s statement, the sessions court judge officially lodges a complaint, after which police may then make arrests" (38).
Jan. 30, 2020, 1:05 p.m.
Countries: Yemen
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"According to law, without the perpetrator’s confession, the rape survivor must provide four male witnesses to the crime" (29). "Women also faced unequal treatment in courts, where the testimony of a woman equals half that of a man’s" (30).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"According to law, without the perpetrator’s confession, the rape survivor must provide four male witnesses to the crime" (29). "Women also faced unequal treatment in courts, where the testimony of a woman equals half that of a man’s" (30).
Jan. 29, 2020, 11:11 p.m.
Countries: Japan
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"In relation to measures taken to eliminate all forms of violence against women, including domestic and sexual violence, the system of victim participation in trial procedures was put into force in 2008 following the previous review. The said system is one that, based on a decision of the court, enables the victims of certain crimes, including domestic violence cases and sexual crimes, to attend court on the trial dates and to directly ask questions of the accused. The number of cases in which the victims participated in 2009 was 403, involving 571 persons. 24 of such persons were allowed to be accompanied by another person to alleviate their psychological burden,...more
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"In relation to measures taken to eliminate all forms of violence against women, including domestic and sexual violence, the system of victim participation in trial procedures was put into force in 2008 following the previous review. The said system is one that, based on a decision of the court, enables the victims of certain crimes, including domestic violence cases and sexual crimes, to attend court on the trial dates and to directly ask questions of the accused. The number of cases in which the victims participated in 2009 was 403, involving 571 persons. 24 of such persons were allowed to be accompanied by another person to alleviate their psychological burden,...more
Dec. 14, 2019, 6:40 p.m.
Countries: Spain
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"A victim must have demonstrated resistance, but, in this case, the terrified woman appears frozen in a video clip of the 30-minute attack. The defence argued she was consenting and so the lesser charge was applied" (para. 2). "In the first trial, messages on the wolf pack's WhatsApp chat, in which the men explicitly talked of purchasing date-rape drugs, were deemed inadmissible by the court, whereas photos taken from the victim's social media, showing her having fun in the months following the attack, were allowed. She was painted as a precocious seductress" (para. 3).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"A victim must have demonstrated resistance, but, in this case, the terrified woman appears frozen in a video clip of the 30-minute attack. The defence argued she was consenting and so the lesser charge was applied" (para. 2). "In the first trial, messages on the wolf pack's WhatsApp chat, in which the men explicitly talked of purchasing date-rape drugs, were deemed inadmissible by the court, whereas photos taken from the victim's social media, showing her having fun in the months following the attack, were allowed. She was painted as a precocious seductress" (para. 3).
Dec. 14, 2019, 2:59 p.m.
Countries: India
Variables: LRW-LAW-3, DV-PRACTICE-1
"Her family in Uttarakhand is aware of the abuse she is suffering but they do not have the money to escalate a police report they have lodged. Because they live in a different state to where the crime took place they have to pay the police to investigate it" (para 20).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3, DV-PRACTICE-1
"Her family in Uttarakhand is aware of the abuse she is suffering but they do not have the money to escalate a police report they have lodged. Because they live in a different state to where the crime took place they have to pay the police to investigate it" (para 20).
Oct. 22, 2019, 6:25 p.m.
Countries: Sudan
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"In certain probate trials, the testimony of women is not considered equivalent to that of men; the testimony of two women is required. In other civil trials, the testimony of a woman equals that of a man." (pg 43).
Variables: LRW-LAW-3
"In certain probate trials, the testimony of women is not considered equivalent to that of men; the testimony of two women is required. In other civil trials, the testimony of a woman equals that of a man." (pg 43).
Aug. 9, 2019, 1 p.m.
Countries: D R Congo
Variables: LRW-LAW-2, LRW-LAW-3, LRCM-LAW-2
"The law on sexual violence criminalizes rape, but the offense was not always reported by victims and the law was not always enforced. Rape was common. The legal definition of rape does not include spousal rape. It also prohibits extrajudicial settlements (for example, a customary fine paid by the perpetrator to the family of the victim) and forced marriage, allows victims of sexual violence to waive appearance in court, and permits closed hearings to protect confidentiality. The minimum penalty prescribed for rape is a prison sentence of five years, and courts regularly imposed such a sentence in rape convictions" (page 39).
Variables: LRW-LAW-2, LRW-LAW-3, LRCM-LAW-2
"The law on sexual violence criminalizes rape, but the offense was not always reported by victims and the law was not always enforced. Rape was common. The legal definition of rape does not include spousal rape. It also prohibits extrajudicial settlements (for example, a customary fine paid by the perpetrator to the family of the victim) and forced marriage, allows victims of sexual violence to waive appearance in court, and permits closed hearings to protect confidentiality. The minimum penalty prescribed for rape is a prison sentence of five years, and courts regularly imposed such a sentence in rape convictions" (page 39).