STOP had been invited to be a part of the Panel Discussions on Gender-Based Violence scheduled on Thursday, 16th of March, 2023. The panelists were namely Smriti Shah Gambhir (Psychologist), Inspector Saroj Singh from Delhi Police, Aparna Bhat (lawyer and policy-developer), Gayatri Sharma from Women Power Connect, and Janki Gadhvi from STOP, respectively. The session was held in two phases; in the initial phase, panelists were introduced and each talked for about five minutes each. The talks included the resources each could provide, from giving courage, medico-legal aid and counselling, to filing an FIR and fighting in the court, remotely as well as physically. They especially focused on foreign nationals as victims and the international and national laws pertaining to giving them justice in the Indian courts. The second phase included interesting questions revolving around the victim’s consent to conduct an invasive medical examination, as well as how to deal with each specific case, using an ideal mix of non-verbal gestures and friendly verbal communication, at psychological, physical, medical, legal levels, with constant assistance from civil bodies like STOP NGO. The session concluded with a vote of thanks from High Commission of Canada, and a promise to save and assist as many victims as possible, without discriminating on the basis of gender, region, economic status and nationality.
STOP, India 