In an emergency:
If you are being physically abused often and you are beginning to fear serious harm, prepare yourself by taking the following precautions, especially if violence takes place at night:
- Confide in a close neighbour or friend, who you can trust.
- Tell him or her that you fear that you might need help in an emergency.
- Decide on a way to indicate you are under threat, so he or she can call police on 15.
- Find out the CPLC Zonal Office number of your area and give it to your friend/confidante, along with the 15 police emergency number.
- Ask him or her to inform the police that a woman is being battered in the neighborhood and she may be in danger.
- Ask him or her to give the police your address.
The interruption by the arrival of the police can stop immediate violence, and you may be able to spend the night in relative safety.
Where to go
- If you have decided to leave your home, it is advisable to do so during the day and take refuge at a women’s shelter.
- Staying away will help you to think through your situation, talk to someone, see a psychologist to overcome trauma and fear before taking action.
- Go as soon as possible for a medico legal examination. The urgency is to ensure that all injuries like bruises or cuts are seen and recorded by the medico-legal officer. That will be your evidence, in case you choose to take legal action. Recording your injuries does not mean you have to take legal action, but it is important to record the incident.
- Locate a women’s shelter that provides fairly comprehensive support, including advice on legal aid.
What to do
If you decide to come out of your abusive situation through legal action:
- Read the section on this site that lists organizations who provide legal aid to survivors of violence.
- Call one of the listed Helpline numbers for legal aid and advice
- APWA Legal Aid Call Centre Helpline – 111-279-252 – between 2:30 PM to 6:30 PM
- Crisis Centre, Ministry of Women’s Development – 0300-290-8535 between 11:00 AM to 6:30PM
- Panah Home Phone: 0213-3636-0025, 0214-3636-0028 between 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
- Madadgaar Helpline: 111-911-922 between 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
- The organization will advise and assist you through the process, and help fulfill the legal & police requirements, as they are familiar with it.
- The first step is to undergo a medico-legal examination as soon as possible, as your case rests on establishing evidence of grievous hurt.
- The medico-legal examination takes place at one of the hospitals listed below between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM:
- Civil Hospital
- Jinnah Hospital
- Abbassi Shaheed Hospital
- Usually the medico-legal examiner asks for a letter from the Police Station or Police Surgeon. This is not an essential requirement and it is your right to ask to be examined, but you may still face difficulty without the letter.
- Your Legal Aid provider will assist and arrange for the letter to the MLO
- Find out when the MLO will give you the certificate, and collect it on the date.
