Staff Reporter
Peshawar
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Friday passed the Provincial Domestic Violence Bill. The bill which will become a law after the governor signs it will sentence offenders to jail for a minimum of one year and maximum of five years.
The bill includes punishment for “sexual abuse, psychological abuse, economic abuse, and stalking.”
It has defined economic abuse as the Denial of food, Denial of clothing and Denial of shelter in a domestic relationship.
Psychological abuses include the conditions being faced by the survivor as a result of the oppressive behavior of the accused person, including the limiting freedom of movement. These are Anorexia, Attempting suicide and Clinically proved depression
The bill says that a six-member District Protection Committee should be formed too. The committee will be responsible for telling people about their legal rights, assist survivors in seeking medical treatment, and assist survivors in relocating to a safer place.
The secretary of the committee has been instructed to report all domestic violence incidents, provide legal aid to survivors, maintain a list of all service provides legal aid or counselling, shelter homes, and medical facilities.
The bill also says that people who file a “frivolous complaint” under this act will be fined Rs50,000.
