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A Toolkit for JUSTICE
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Conceptualised by CEHAT, this kit helps medical professionals deal effectively with sexual assault victims, by recording and documenting medical evidence correctly
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JINAL SHAH
T HIS plain white cardboard package could change the way Mum bai’s hospitals deal with victims of sexual assault, from their medical examination and collection of evidence to their after-care and rehabilitation. Better still, while this little white box ensures that victims are treated in a systemic, effective and sensitive manner, it also helps medical professionals give accurate testimony in court.
Conceptualised and developed by non-governmental organisation Center for Enquiry into Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT), the magic box is actually a first-of-its-kind Sexual Assault Care and Evidence kit called SAFE, making its public healthcare debut in two civic hospitals this week. Thanks to the kit, the R N Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle and the Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar will now be able to deal sensitively and effectively with victims of abuse. “The need for such a SAFE kit was felt as there is no particular timing for sexual assault cases to land in hospitals and the doctors who generally collect evidence are MBBS students who have theoretical knowledge but are not trained practically. The manual attached to the kit is a step-by-step guide in conducting the procedure,” said Dr Nikhil Datar, honorary gynaecologist at Cooper Hospital. The SAFE kit is actually a simple compilation of various materials used for collection of evidence in such cases, otherwise used haphazardly, and also includes a complete manual on how to go about examining the victim. Colour-coded patient consent forms to be submitted to the hospital and to the police, with details of the patient’s examination. “The kit is very simple to use – like it provides a large sheet of plain white paper on which the victim is made to stand so that any grass or hair or any tiny foreign object falls on it and can be collected,” said Padma Deosthali of CEHAT. The SAFE kit was first prepared in the late Nineties when trustees and researchers of CEHAT were involved in investigating a case of sexual assault of a hearing-impaired girl in an observation home in Mumbai, who had been assaulted by a cook within the premises. Panelists found gross inadequacies in the process of eliciting medical history of the patient, medical examination and collection of forensic evidence. “The investigation high lighted the need for a uniform, standardised and meticulous protocol accompanied by guidelines and a training manual to care for and document evidence in such cases,” said Deosthali. It was then that Dr Lalitha D’Souza, a paediatrician working with CEHAT, developed the SAFE kit. The kit was first adapted from a kit used by the Ontario Police, Canada, in 1998. “In India, the kit has gone through several rounds of review and feedback by forensic doctors, gynaecologists and obstetricians as well as human rights and women’s rights activists from Mumbai and other parts of India to suit the needs and requirements in the Indian context,” added Deosthali. Used with appropriate perspective and training, this could be one step to generate better quality evidence and better testimony in court. “Also, the doctors will be trained to use the kit,” Deosthali said. Cooper Hospital has received three such kits. “On an average, Cooper Hospital gets two cases of sexual assault on a woman or child every month. This kit will help us as we will not fall short of swabs due to administrative problems like non availability of swabs on nights when the pathology laboratory is closed,” said Dr Datar. “Using this kit will just increase the chances of getting good and accurate amount of evidence,” he added. URL: http://epaper.indianexpress.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=18_02_2008_523_003&typ=1&pub=320 |