What is the 'two-finger test' for rape survivors?
The supreme court made a historic ruling on monday to outlaw the two-finger test, which is occasionally used on victims of rape and sexual assault. Additionally, the supreme court issued a warning that anyone who takes the test will be found guilty of misconduct. Justices DY Chandrachud and Hima kohli of the supreme court stated that it is deplorable that rape victims are still subjected to the two-finger test. During a hearing to reinstate the conviction in a rape case, the test was called for to be banned.
The bench of the supreme court declared, "This court has repeatedly condemned the employment of the two-finger test in rape and sexual assault cases. The so-called test is an invasive way to examine rape survivors and has no scientific justification. Justice Chandrachud continued to read the decision while stating, "It instead re-victimizes and re-traumatises women. There is no need to perform the two-finger test. He also pointed out that the test had a patriarchal undertone.
The supreme court today prohibited the two-finger test because "it is founded on the false idea that a sexually active woman cannot be raped." Nothing is more false than that. The court added that it spreads the idea that the rape accuser's story cannot be taken seriously because she engages in sexual activity.
What is a two-finger test, performed on rape survivors?
Before it was outlawed by the governments, this test was mostly used in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, however some authorities continued to uphold its legality prior to the supreme Court's rulings.