Online Guest lecture by chief Police Surgeon,Karachi,Dr Summaiya Syed on topic of “The Anti-Rape Act and the Inquiry into Cases of Sexual Assault and operations of Anti-Rape Crisis Cells”

On October 16, 2024, Shifa College of Medicine (SCM), STMU hosted an online guest lecture by Dr. Summaiya Syed. The lecture, titled “The Anti-Rape Act and the Inquiry into Cases of Sexual Assault and operations of Anti-Rape Crisis Cells,” integrated with the theme of “sexual abuse” within the Endocrine, Metabolism, and Reproduction module (Y-3, MBBS program) at SCM. Dr. Summaiya Syed, a highly distinguished expert, delivered the session. Dr. Syed currently serves as the Chief Police Surgeon of Karachi. She holds prominent positions on various committees: Member of the Special Committee on Anti-Rape Act 2023, Member/Secretary of the Special Committee on Sindh Medicolegal Act 2023, and Technical Expert/Advisor to EIAC, UAE. Additionally, Dr. Syed is a specialist in Clinical Management of Sexual Violence and has co-authored a chapter on “Forensic and Conflict Zone Radiology” in the Global Manual of Radiology Imaging (Springer). She is also a Master Trainer on SGBV (Sexual and Gender-Based Violence) and Medicolegal Matters. The session was well attended by undergraduate medical students from MBBS programs at SCM and medical colleges of Karachi, along with SCM faculty. The heads of departments and faculty from forensic medicine from Islamabad and Rawalpindi attended the session. Dr. Sadia Syed, Assistant Professor of Forensic Medicine at SCM and Director of the EMR Module (Y-3, MBBS program), moderated the session. Following a brief introduction of the speaker and the topic, the lecture focused on key aspects of the amended Anti-Rape Act. Dr. Summaiya explained the detailed examination procedures for rape victims and provided insightful examples from her own experience handling such cases. The session also covered appropriate sample collection methods for both living and deceased victims of sexual abuse. She shared and explained the medicolegal performas used for the cases of female and male victims of Sexual Assault. Finally, she explained the operations of Anti-Rape Crisis Cells(ARCC).The discussion ended with very insightful and interactive question and answer session.