JAIPUR: The rape survivors in Rajasthan continue to be subjected to the two-finger test despite the Supreme Court banning it in 2013. The guidelines issued in 2014 stated that this test has no bearing on case of sexual violence. However, cases registered between 2016 to 2018 in places like Chittorgarh, Sirohi, Bansi, Kapasan and many others still have two-finger test written in the report of the sexual offences (copies of which are with TOI). The rape survivors are traumatised and those working with them at ground level say that they claim that it’s ‘like being raped again’.Most of the medical examination reports of the rape survivors, accessed by TOI say ‘two fingers insert in vagina easily’ along with other physical details of the complainant. The cases registered range from a survivor who is 5-year-old to those who are in their 20s and 30s.Mahindra Kataria who is associated with Rashtriya Garima Abhiyan working with rape survivors in Rajasthan told TOI, “We get to meet the survivors of sexual violence after they have already filed the complaint and medical checks have been done. On being asked about the examination, they describe the two-finger test and say that they feel as if they have been assaulted all over again. They re-live the traumatic experience because of this test, which is absolutely illegal but still being done rampantly.”The test is a virginity test done by inserting two fingers into the vagina which was banned in 2013 by the apex court. “How can virginity be tested for rape survivors who are toddlers? This is especially prevalent in rural areas where the parents unknowingly sign the consent form and at times the survivors are so shaken up by this painful test that we need to counsel them extensively. Instead, they should be checking for pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases but that’s not done,” added Kataria who has been working with rape survivors for close to a decade.According to reports, as many as 114 cases have been identified in the state in which two-finger tests were undertaken.The former chairperson of state commission for protection of child rights, Manan Chaturvedi, meanwhile blamed lack of awareness as the cause for this test still being done and said, “All the commissions try to ensure that nothing illegal is done. However, people still need to be made aware of the correct protocol which has to be followed in case of rape and that’s what we are trying to do. In some places, people are not aware of the benefits of registering a complaint.”

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