Her attacker - Rapes her
- Kills her son, 3
BUT SHE'S... JAILED for ADULTERY
ABUSED & HUMILIATED
May 03, 2008
FIRST, Rukhma suffered the indignity of being raped but her sexual assault is nothing compared to what happened next.
Her rapist battered her toddler son before her eyes.
Even though the Afghan man had been jailed 20 years for the little boy's murder, there is little solace for Rukhma.
This is because she has been slapped with a 4-year jail sentence.
Her crime?
Adultery and 'escaping her house' in Pakistan.
Rukhma's ordeal started when she was trafficked, along with her 3-year-old son, across the border from Pakistan.
She was handed over to an Afghan who raped her. Rukhma put up with her mistreatment for three months before going to the authorities.
But in December, Rukhma, who doesn't know her age but looks younger than 20, was slapped with the jail term.
'Why am I here? I'm innocent,' Rukhma said, crying in a musty cell and cradling a baby daughter she gave birth in jail.
'It is cruel to have your son killed before your eyes and then to be imprisoned.'
After the fall of the Taliban six years ago, Afghan women were given new rights - to go to school or get a job - but it hasn't been smooth sailing.
Such rights are enshrined in the constitution.
More often than not, a woman fleeing domestic violence or accusing a man of rape often ends up as the guilty party.
In parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, a woman who runs away from home is typically suspected of having taken a lover and can be prosecuted for adultery.
Leaving home without family permission may be deemed as an offence.
The chief prosecutor of eastern Nangarhar province, who oversaw Rukhma's case, said she got off lightly.
'If my wife goes to the bazaar without my permission, I will kill her. This is our culture,' said Mr Abdul Qayum.
'This is Afghanistan, not America,' Mr Qayum said.
UN human rights officer Kamala Janakiram said in 70 to 80 per cent of cases she has seen, a woman complaining of domestic violence is charged as a criminal.
The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said many victims are forced to marry attackers or jailed for adultery because it is virtually impossible to prove rape.
Fear of returning to a violent spouse has driven some women to suicide.
Rukhma is still hoping that an appeal will free her.
But the prosecutor is not buying her tale.
He said: 'She spent several nights with the man. She committed adultery. It was rape but the woman is also guilty.'
AP
Source:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/st...51940,00.html? 
Her attacker Rapes her & Kills her son, 3. BUT SHE'S... JAILED for ADULTERY 
This is so unfair to the woman.....
