Afghan women hiding for their lives
By: Alesia Mason
This story mainly followed a Afghani woman named Shameen who had a week before the story, been raped by her husband which had been part of her daily life for the past 15 years. What made this day so different is the fact that she was nearly stabbed to death-only a short while after the police had received her husband’s word that he wouldn’t beat her anymore. Since she was a teenager, she had been beaten with an electrical cord or a hammer because she couldn’t complain to anyone. Complaints meant death and it was certain, she would’ve been killed. She couldn’t even go home because of “the shame” she brought on her family meant they would kill her. In fact, her eleven (yes, eleven) year old sister was married and after four short years, her husband burned her alive and her family turned their backs to it. The other story focused on an eight year old who had been raped when she was five. Her father brought her to the shelter where Shameen now lives because he wanted her to have a normal life. Her rapist had originally been released from jail but after Women for Afghan Women pursued the case, he received six years. He has three more years to serve and Hosnia’s family now fears for her life.
I actually wasn’t too shocked about this because it happens all over the world because in Africa and America women are constantly being told that they were raped because they “asked for it”. What shocked me was that her family would kill her. I didn’t know it was like that in Afghanistan. I mean, if women continually get raped and are blamed, what does it say for society? They’re raped but blame lies with them and if they complain, they’re threatened with death.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/09/23/afghanistan.women.abuse/index.html
3 comments:
I think it's interesting that the article I just read dealt with how problems like these may be addressed on an international stage in the future. Hopefully, as stories like these are spread, government authorities will really begin to enact some of the new policies that have been established to combat persecution such as this. I also think it's interesting that we just talked about "blaming the victim" today, and presented here is an extremely - if not ridiculously - clear-cut example of just that. It's a little frightening to see how much of this issue is rooted as a "way of life" in the country, according to the article. Although like you said, the same sort of thing happens here.
I think this article is interesting. It makes me sad to read it though because I know it happens all over the world. However, it doesn't surprise me that the families would turn their backs because family turn their backs on kids simply because they don't like the guy their daughter in dating, so why would they believe the daughter was raped? Sick I know, but very true.
I think this article is interesting. It makes me sad to read it though because I know it happens all over the world. However, it doesn't surprise me that the families would turn their backs because family turn their backs on kids simply because they don't like the guy their daughter in dating, so why would they believe the daughter was raped? Sick I know, but very true.
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