Afghan Woman’s Choice: Marry Rapist Or Stay In Jail

 

Afghan Woman’s Choice: 

Marry Rapist Or Stay In Jail

• by Judy Molland
• December 1, 2011

This story is both outrageous and terribly sad.

Three weeks ago I wrote here about Gulnaz, a 19-year-old Afghan woman who was raped by her cousin’s husband, then charged with adultery and finally sentenced to 12 years in prison.  Her baby girl, born following the rape, is serving her sentence with her.

The European Union commissioned Development Pictures to produce a documentary highlighting women’s rights issues in Afghanistan, but subsequently suppressed it for political reasons. The documentary tells Gulnaz’s story.

Gulnaz To Be Freed, But Must Marry Her Rapist

Now comes the news that Gulnaz is set to be freed, but only after agreeing to marry the man who raped her.
You read that right: President Hamid Karzai ordered Gulnaz to be released on condition that she agreed to become the second wife of her rapist – a prospect that supporters say she had dreaded.

The Afghan President got involved in the case of Gulnaz when the decision not to broadcast the film led to a storm of publicity, including a Care2 petition with over 90,000 signatures.

So first the 19-year-old is raped and becomes pregnant. This makes her guilty of adultery under Afghan law, and she is sentenced to 12 years in jail. As a final indignity, she can leave jail only by marrying her rapist. But it gets worse.

“He Had Filthy Clothes On…He Shut Me Up By Putting His Hands On My Mouth”

From CNN:

Even two years later, Gulnaz remembers the smell and state of her rapist’s clothes when he came into the house when her mother left for a brief visit to the hospital.

“He had filthy clothes on as he does metal and construction work. When my mother went out, he came into my house and he closed doors and windows. I started screaming, but he shut me up by putting his hands on my mouth,” she said.

After the attack, she hid what happened as long as she could. But soon she began vomiting in the mornings and showing signs of pregnancy. It was her attacker’s child.

In Afghanistan, this brought her not sympathy, but prosecution. Aged just 19, she was found guilty by the courts of sex outside of marriage — adultery — and sentenced to twelve years in jail.

The only way around the dishonor of rape, or adultery in the eyes of Afghans, is to marry her attacker. This will, in the eyes of some, give her child a family and restore her honor. In order that she may stay with her child, Gulnaz is willing to do this.

Gulnaz Faced A Stark Choice

Gulnaz had a stark choice to make. Women in her situation are often killed for the shame their ordeal has brought the community. She is at risk, some say, from her attacker’s family. And her case is common to many women in Afghanistan.

Under Afghan law, Gulnaz has been judged an adulterer. Despite the ongoing dispute over her story, her predicament has not changed. She faced the hideous choice of 12 years in jail or marriage to her rapist and the risk of death.

If you haven’t taken action, please sign our petition demanding justice for the women of Afghanistan.

Related Stories
Afghan Woman First Raped, Then Charged With Adultery – EU Bans Documentary
Abortion After A Rape Is Not Like Murdering Your Mother’s Killer
Herman Cain On Abortion: Carry Your Rapist’s Baby
Photo Credit: DVIDSHUB

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/afghan-womans-choice-marry-rapist-or-stay-in-jail.html#ixzz1fPoMkpBH