MHA reviews rules of other ministries on rape victims

New Delhi: As the demand for death penalty for accused in child rape cases gets shriller, the Home Ministry has started reviewing the existing protocols on the treatment of rape survivors which would be incorporated into the proposed 'stringent' new norms to address gruesome rape incidents with minors.

According to an official, the Health Ministry has submitted its existing guidelines on the treatment of rape victims to the Home Ministry for further amendments to it.

As per the Health Ministry's guidelines, only a female doctor would be allowed to attend a rape victim. "It's also in the guidelines that female psychiatrist would first attend the victim and enquire about the incident as per the convenience of the victim," the official said, adding that no police personnel would be allowed to interact with rape victims during the course of treatment or medical examination.

"The protocol also has it that even medical practitioners are not allowed to ask any 'uncomfortable' questions while interacting with the rape victim," the official said.

The Health Ministry's guidelines also make it must for all hospitals to set up a designated room for forensic and medical examination of victims besides banning the two-finger test performed on them.

It's worth mentioning that Women & Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and BJP MP Hema Malini have called for the guilty to be 'hanged to death.'

The government has also initiated required amendments to ensure those who rape children below 12 years of age are given the death penalty.