GANG-RAPE PROTEST IN INDIA

INDIAN PROTEST ON GANG RAPE

Fighting rape in India's old-boys club

WOMENS MADE A ARMY TO FIGHT AGAINST RAPE

Young women from the Red Brigade walk through the Midiyav slum in the city of Lucknow. Their leader, Usha Vishwakarma, 25, is in white. Photograph: Gethin Chamberlain for the Observer



The male tormentor of the young women of the Madiyav slum did not spot the danger until it was too late. One moment he was taunting them with sexual suggestions and provocations; the next they had hold of his arms and legs and had hoisted him into the air.

Then the beating began. Some of the young women lightly used their fists, others took off their shoes and hit him with those. When it was over, they let him limp away to nurse his wounds, certain that he had learned an important lesson: don't push your luck with the Red Brigade.

Named for their bright red outfits, the Red Brigade was formed in November 2011 as a self-defence group for young women suffering sexual abuse in the northern Indian city of Lucknow, 300 miles south-east of Delhi. Galvanised by the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old medical student in Delhi last December and the nationwide protests that followed against a rising tide of rapes, they are now gaining in confidence.

From a core membership of 15, ranging in age from 11 to 25, they now have more than 100 members, intelligent and sassy and with a simple message for the men who have made their lives a misery: they will no longer tolerate being groped, gawped at and worse. Their activities are a lesson in empowerment.

Men who fall foul of the Red Brigade can first expect a visit and a warning. Sometimes the Red Brigade will ask the police to get involved, but if all else fails they take matters into their own hands. Their leader, 25-year-old teacher Usha Vishwakarma, has her own experience of the daily danger faced by many young women in the country. She was just 18 when a fellow teacher tried to rape her. "He grabbed me and put his hands round me and tried to open my belt and trousers," says Usha, sitting in the bare-brick front room of her small house. "But I was saved by my jeans because they were too tight for him to open, and that gave me a chance to fight, so I kicked him in the sensitive place and pushed him down and ran out of the door."

No one at the school took her accusations seriously, telling her to forget it and stop causing trouble. The experience left her traumatised and for two years she did nothing. But little by little her confidence came back. In 2009 she set up her own small school for local girls in an outbuilding next to her family home. Yet all around her, she says, she saw more and more young women suffering the same abuse she had faced. And it was threatening to wreck the chances of her young female students.

"Parents were telling girls to stay in their homes so there would be no incidents. They said, 'if you go to school, boys will be troubling you, so stay home and there will be no sexual violence'," says Vishwakarma. "But we said no, and we decided to form a group to fight for ourselves. We decided we would not just complain; we would take a lead and fight for ourselves." They bought red kameez (shirts) and black salwar (trousers) and began to plan the fightback. "We chose red because it means danger and black for protest," says Vishwakarma.

There is much to fight back against. "It is in the minds of men that girls are objects and it has been like that always," says Vishwakarma. "Religion shows women as very powerless and that whoever is strong can do anything."

Other members of the group drift in and join her, sitting on the bed along one wall of the front room. At the other end of the room is a table laden with the placards they carry with them when they go out to protest on the 29th day of every month. The demonstrations mark the date of the Delhi bus rape and murder on 29 December. Their slogans read: "Stop rape now" and "We want safety".

"In the electronic era there are pictures everywhere of women and girls being treated like objects. It is now very simple to see pornography and it is feeding the hunger for sex. The men think that if you are looking sexy, then you want sex," says Vishwakarma.

They have started martial arts training so that the men do not have a physical advantage over them. Pooja, Vishwakarma's 18-year-old sister, laughs as she recalls the reaction of the boy they grabbed in the street when his taunts became too much. "We all stopped and turned round and we surrounded him and grabbed his arms and legs and he thought it was a joke, but we were not kidding and four of us lifted him in the air and the others started to hit him with their shoes and fists," she says.

The rough justice the Red Brigade metes out might seem extreme to western sensibilities, but many Indian women are making it clear that they are no longer prepared to put up with endemic abuse. That much is clear from the crime figures: reports of molestation in Delhi are up 590% year on year and rape reports by 147%. The rape cases have hit tourist numbers, which were down 25% in the first three months of the year – 35% fewer women are travelling to India.

The Red Brigade say sexual abuse is a part of daily life for young women like them. They all have stories of abuse, attempted rapes and daily harassment. "This is what happens in India," says 16-year-old Laxmi, one of Vishwakarma's lieutenants. "These things happen all the time. All of us know this, so don't let anyone say otherwise. This is why we have formed the Red Brigade."

Seventeen-year-old Preeti Verma nods in agreement. Her family are too poor to have a toilet in the house, so she has to go out into the fields, she says. Every time she went out, the man in the neighbouring house threw stones at her to try to scare her into jumping up. "He wanted to see my body," she says. "I told him: 'What are you doing? You are shameless, don't you have a mother and sister in your house?' But he replied that his mother is for his father, his sister is for her husband and that I was for him." She told Vishwakarma, and the man received a visit from the Red Brigade and another from the police. She has had no trouble from him since.

"We've caught a lot of men recently," says 17-year-old Sufia Hashmi. "I joined up because men always used to pass comments on me and touch my body, but now we beat them the men cannot do anything and they run away. You feel powerful and you feel good."

The next day, they gather on the roof of a gym across the city to run through their moves, a mixture of kicks, punches and throws. An instructor shows Pooja how to use a wooden stick to keep a boy at bay. She holds it against his assistant's throat and the boy looks terrified. The others gasp and giggle.

Yet it is not just the young men of the neighbourhood that the Red Brigade must overcome. Many of the members are very young and, although some of their parents are supportive, others are convinced they are wasting their lives. "The attitude of my parents is very demoralising," says 16-year-old Simpi Diwari, a tiny young woman who a few moments ago was kicking away the legs of one of her colleagues. "I want to be like Usha, fighting against the cruel things, I want to be a teacher and a motivator too, but I am fighting with my parents just to be allowed out of the house."

On the way back to the slum, the rickshaws pass a public park and for a moment these tough young women show themselves for what they really are – children forced to grow up fast. They beg and plead to stop. "Please, please," they say, their eyes gleaming in excitement. Shrieking gleefully, they race off towards the swings, slides and roundabouts. Later they stroll back through the market, eating ice-creams, heading for their homes. The sun is low in the sky, the shadows long. The men watch sullenly as they pass, like wolves who have just discovered the sheep are armed. No one risks a word.

Source: http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/244680-women-hit-back-indias-rape-culture.html#ixzz2PxHZpnBY

Indian students invent "anti-rape" underwear

Indian students have invented underwear they claim can protect the wearer against sexual assault. /

Engineering students in India have created electronic underwear they claim can protect the wearer from sexual assault.

The lingerie would deliver electric shock waves of 3,800,000 volts to an attacker and features GPS.

The garment can also send emergency text messages to the police.

The unusual prototype was created by three Indian students at SRM University in Chennai, who wanted to combat ongoing violence against women.

The protective underwear, named Society Harnessing Equipment (SHE), purportedly delivers up to 82 electric shocks to a would-be offender when pressure sensors on the item detect unwanted force, according to The Times of India.

"A person trying to molest a girl will get the shock of his life the moment pressure sensors get activated, and the GPS and GSM modules would send an SMS (to the Indian emergency number) as well as to parents of the girl," said one inventor, Manisha Mohan.

Mohan and her two colleagues, Rimpi Tripathi and Neeladri Basu Pal, hope to begin commercial production of the device later this month.

The issue of sexual assault in India has remained on the public radar since the December gang rape of a 23-year-old student on a public bus in Delhi.

The victim died thirteen days after the attack. The attack sparked mass anger and demonstrations across India. 

There have also been two sexual assault-related cases reported by female tourists. In the last three months, the number of foreigners traveling to India has dropped by 25 percent, according to a recent study by the New Delhi-based Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

The number of female tourists has dropped by 35 percent, the study claimed.

Dear women, all men are not rapists!

So fear not aunties, all men aren’t eying you nor are all men rapists. PHOTO: REUTERS

It was a regular Monday morning, and I left home early to meet a client.

I assist a friend with his event management business and we were meeting this ‘rich’ client and so, I made sure I was dressed well and looked my best.

My friend promised to pick me up from a spot close to my place, a spot where I decided to get to by a qingqi rickshaw. For those who don’t know, a qingqi is a motorcycle rickshaw with a compartment that has enough space to accommodate six people — three ladies in the back and three gents in the front. There’s not a hard and fast rule for the seating order but that’s the norm anyway.

It was 9:00 in the morning, so I struggled to find an empty qingqi as it is usually a busy time of the day.

Finally, after waiting for about 10 to 15 minutes, I stopped a qingqi that had four people sitting in it — three men in the front and a lady in the back. This meant there was space for at least two people in the back.

Without thinking much, I jumped into the backseat making sure there was enough distance between me and the lady. Mind you, she seemed to be my mother’s age in her 50s.

Anyway, just when I thought I had settled in and the qingqi resumed its run, all hell broke loose.

She panicked and started shouting at the rider about how he had allowed a male to sit in the back with her. For some reason, she felt so insecure that she threatened to start screaming if he didn’t stop the ride and asked me to get off or move in front.

I was shell-shocked and didn’t know how to react.

I hadn’t rubbed thighs with her; it was broad daylight too, and we were not alone, so why panic and perceive me to be a ‘bad guy’ or a rapist? It just didn’t make any sense!

I didn’t understand why she feared sitting next to me for what would have been a matter of two to three minutes in any case. I had left enough distance between us and wasn’t even looking her way!

Inevitably, we succumbed to her shrill screaming and I was asked to get off the qingqi.

And what was worse?

I got late for the meeting giving the worse possible first impression to the client who was also.. err… a lady.

Although I do want to give women the benefit of the doubt, considering the situation that is prevalent in Karachi with all the rape and kidnapping incidents, however, the reaction of this woman to a man sitting next to her with many people around her, that too in daylight, perplexed me.

Should women be allowed to react like so or is this taking it too far?

I believe that I did nothing wrong and shouldn’t have been made to get off the rickshaw just because a woman also happened to be riding in it.

Yes, we are men, and many men do bad things, but all men are not demons.

I request women to be more rational and a better judge of men. Appearances might be deceiving but one has to use their common sense to decide whether the situation is dangerous or even close to threatening.

SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN IN PAKISTAN

Abuse of children, particularly sexual abuse, is rarely admitted in our society. For too long, Pakistani society has been in complete denial of its very existence within the four walls of a home.

In fact, it is the close-knit family structure that often masks the abhorrent cruelty perpetrated on children. Statistics gathered in 2011 by Sahil, a non governmental organisation working on the issue, show that 88 per cent of cases of sexual assault took place within homes.
While there is much under-reporting, based on data gleaned from newspapers and NGOs, the total number of sexual abuse cases in 2011, recorded by Sahil, stood at 2,942. In other words eight children were sexually abused per day.
So what exactly is child sexual abuse?
Dr Asha Bedar, a psychologist defines it as: “Child sexual abuse (CSA) is any act in which an adult or a much older child uses a child sexually. This can include anything from seemingly innocuous acts like touching, fondling and kissing a child to deliberate molestation.”
According to research, most offenders are persons a child trusts including parents, relatives and school teachers, people in the neighbourhood, shopkeepers, etc. and not strangers as is commonly believed.
Dr Ambreen Ahmad, an Islamabad-based psychiatrist, also points to household help. “Many times children are cared for and left alone with household help,” she said, adding that often these are trusted people. “On many occasions, abuse of children happens at the hands of maulvis who come into the house.”
But when sexual abuse of children involves family members, it is almost always hushed up and the child’s suffering remains hidden beneath a veil of secrecy. Ahmad concedes that while families are tightly knit and relationships are valued, this can often come in the way of unveiling incest. While there is a general denial about the issue of CSA, the denial is much more vehement when it comes to incest.
“There are many instances where even when the child has shared the truth with a parent, the reaction has been of disbelief,” Ahmad says.
The child is told that he or she must have misunderstood and is reprimanded from even ‘thinking’ along those lines about someone who is so well respected. The worst is when the child is told that he or she must be to blame. Many times, even if the child is believed, the relationship is maintained, the silence not broken so that the child has to go along with the pretence,” says Ahmad, adding that incest often carries on for years and often several siblings are abused by the same abuser.
It is the emotional manipulation rather than force that is by far the most common tactic used to abuse a child, says Bedar. Offenders commonly use secrecy and blame to coerce a child to remain a silent participant.
“Often they are trusted, respected figures and quite aware of this position. The child, too, is aware of that position. This in itself makes it hard for children to tell anyone,” adds Ahmad.
Bedar says that the abusers understand that children naturally respond to love, attention and fun, and use that to lure them into situations where they are alone and vulnerable. “In an attempt to ensure the abuse is not disclosed, they may use bribes (money, sweets, extra attention, etc.) or make the experience sound extra special — like a fun secret. They may also use threats and induce fear in the child, but rarely do they use physical force, because, if they do so, the abuse is more likely to be found out.” When the abuser is well-known or related to the child, it is even easier to manipulate her or him as they know what the child likes, dislikes and what his routine is and therefore has “more instances with the child”.
Contrary to the general belief that only girls are abused, boys were equally at risk, if not more. Neither is CSA limited to lower socio-economic, uneducated groups as many erroneously believe. “It occurs all over the world, in all regions, communities and socio-economic groups. Based on research done on the subject in Pakistan, Bedar emphasises that boys are almost as vulnerable to CSA as girls. “Culturally boys are expected to take care of themselves and are often left unprotected,” she says.

Rape Victim and her Fate by Fatwa issued by Deobandi school of thought in India.

June 28: The alleged rape of Imrana, a mother of five, by her father-in-law has split the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, the apex decision-making body of the community, along sectarian lines. Followers of the Hanafi school (named after Imam Abu Hanifa) are firm that the rape victim’s marriage stands automatically annulled because father-son relations are “sacred”, while followers of the Shafi school argue that she cannot be punished further. In India, most of the Sunni population belongs to either of the two schools. Board chief Maulana Rabey Nadvi, who is in Mumbai, yesterday spent a busy day trying to put a lid on the controversy. The rector of the Nadwa school of theology spoke to some senior office-bearers, wondering why the board was being dragged into a matter that should be dealt with according to criminal justice proceedings. Word has been sent to board members not to issue statements on the Imrana rape case as it falls beyond its mandate. The board, Nadvi said, is primarily meant to protect Sharia law in civil matters. Prima facie, Imrana’s case has serious criminal and legal implications that should take precedence over other matters. Yesterday, a board member had said in Lucknow that Imrana must separate from her husband. But that was an individual view, not the board’s stand. Nadvi is of the view that fatwas in such matters lower the prestige of local panchayats and theological schools. First, fatwas issued by theological schools have no locus standi since there is no mechanism to ensure their implementation. Secondly, those issuing fatwas lack basic information such as the sequence of events, statements, cross-examination, necessary to impart justice. Imrana was allegedly raped by her father-in-law at Muzaffarnagar in western Uttar Pradesh. The village’s Islamic panchayat asked her to abandon her husband Noor Illahi but a defiant Imrana initially refused to obey the order. Yesterday, after the Deoband school of theology said in a fatwa that Imrana’s marriage with Noor Ilahi is nullified and they must split, the rape victim said in Muzaffarnagar that she and her husband would obey the order. The Deoband muftis also ruled out the possibility of Imrana marrying her father-in-law, pointing out that under Islamic law, he should face death penalty. The lone woman board member, Begum Naseem Iqtedar Ali Khan, said in Lucknow yesterday that she agreed with the muftis’ order. But some board members feel this case should not be seen as a Muslim issue. Board member Kamal Farooqui said: “It was a heinous crime that should not have occurred in a civilised society. The culprit must be punished in the most severe manner possible. That is it. As for future of Imrana, it should be her decision.” He clarified that this was his personal view. Legal experts in the board are also asking how a rape victim’s name is being bandied about when a Supreme Court verdict has strictly prohibited this. Coming barely few months after the agreement on the model nikahnama in Bhopal and creation of parallel women, Shia and Barelvi law boards, the Imrana controversy has again shaken the fragile unity within the board. 

RAPE-RAPE-THE BUS RAPE REMINDS NOW THE BUS HAS BECOME RAPEBUS

U.S. tourist in Brazil kidnapped, robbed and raped in front of boyfriend on bus during 6-hour nightmare: police

The American woman was a student and her boyfriend is from France, according to reports. Their alleged attackers — Jonathan Foudakis de Souza, 20, and Wallace Aparecido Souza Silva, 22 — were arrested after the incident. They’re also accused of stealing the couple’s ATM information and taking out money in the area. A third man was also detained in the sick plot.

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BY LEE MORAN AND ERIK ORTIZ / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

PUBLISHED: TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013, 8:23 AM

UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013, 9:29 AM

An American student was kidnapped, robbed and raped in front of her cuffed French boyfriend during a horrifying six-hour ordeal on a minibus in Brazil, police said.

--/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Jonathan Froudakis de Souza , 20, (left) and Wallace Aparecido Silva, 22, (right) are accused of raping an American tourist on a minibus in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday, while her French boyfriend was handcuffed and brutalized inside the vehicle. A third man was also detained.

The nightmare ride in Rio de Janeiro was part of a sex crime spree by a group of men, authorities said, calling the sick plot a “party of evil.” It also paralleled other gruesome gang rapes against women and tourists in developing countries.

The woman and her partner boarded the minibus near the tourist-heavy Copacabana beach around 1 a.m. Saturday. Three men hijacked the vehicle and forced everyone else off, police said.

The male victim was allegedly cuffed and beaten — then made to watch as the woman was repeatedly raped.

The attackers are also accused of seizing the victims’ credit cards and using them to withdraw cash from ATMs across the area. Police said they even used the cards to pay for fuel for the minibus at two gas stations.

REUTERS/CNN

A female foreign tourist was kidnapped, raped and robbed on a minibus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Globo television network aired surveillance camera images of two men filling up the white van and showed police images of a metal bar the suspects are thought to have used to beat and intimidate the victims.

RELATED: SEX ATTACKS DIM INDIAN TOURISM

The terrifying ordeal ended when the accused rapists dumped the terrified couple in Itaborai, more than 30 miles away from Rio, Brazil's O Globo newspaper reported.

Two men — Jonathan Foudakis de Souza, 20, and Wallace Aparecido Souza Silva, 22 — were arrested soon after the incident. A third man, 21-year-old Carlos Armando Costa dos Santos, has also been detained.

Police said a cell phone belonging to one of the victims was found on one of the suspects.

AP PHOTO

Indian students hold placards demanding severe punishment for the men accused of raping a 23-year-old student last December. The victim later died, and the case sparked widespread protests across India.

Police wouldn’t identify the victims’ nationalities, although the pair were in Brazil studying Portuguese for about a month. The U.S. State Department on Monday confirmed that the woman is a U.S. citizen, while a French consular source told Agence France-Presse that her partner is from France.

The pair has since left Brazil, but police said the victims had positively identified two of the suspects. A Brazilian woman also came forward and claimed she was assaulted by the same men on March 23.

In an interview with Globo television, Rio commanding officer Alexandre Braga said the suspects were on a sex-fueled rampage.

RELATED: BRITISH TOURIST ESCAPES ALLEGED SEX ASSAULT IN INDIA: COPS

“The characteristics of both crimes, both the Brazilian case and the one with the foreigners, lead us to believe that they (the suspects) wanted to have a ‘party of evil,’ in quotes,” Braga said. “The principal motive appears to have been the satisfaction of their lust.”

AP

A Swiss woman (center), who said she was gang-raped by a group of eight men while touring by bicycle with her husband, is escorted by policewomen for a medical examination at a hospital in Gwalior, India, on March 16.

The attack also drew comparisons with the fatal December beating and gang rape of a young woman on a New Delhi bus. Six men brutalized a 23-year-old university student and male friend after they boarded a private bus, touching off a wave of protests across India demanding stronger protection for women.

Also in India earlier this month, a Swiss tourist told police that she was raped by eight men during a cycling trip with her husband. The couple had been beaten and robbed as well, according to reports.

In Mexico in February, six Spanish women vacationing in Acapulco were raped by a group of masked gunmen inside their beachfront home, police said.

The alleged incident in Brazil comes at an especially visible time for Rio, where security issues are under scrutiny. The city will host several high-profile events over the next few years, including a visit from Pope Francis during July's World Youth Day, expected to draw some 2 million Catholics. The 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics are also set to attract millions.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/u-s-student-kidnapped-raped-bus-brazil-article-1.1305356#ixzz2PJsct43L

11 Bodies Discovered From Sex Offender’s House

A sex offender has been charged for killing 11 women and hiding their corpses in his house.

The American man has been convicted of aggravated murder and could face death penalty.

Anthony Sowell, 51, was found guilty for the killing of  Tonia Carmichael, who disappeared in November 2008 and was strangled with an electrical charger for a mobile phone or camera, reports the news.

Carmichael’s mother and sister hugged each other and cried in despair after the jury pronounced him guilty for the murder.  He was immediately handcuffed by a court deputy.

The 11 women began disappearing in 2007.  Prosecutors say Sowell lured vulnerable women to his home with the promise of alcohol or drugs.

The police investigated and found the first two bodies and a freshly dug grave in late 2009.

The women discovered from Sowell’s home had been missing for months and weeks and a few of them also had criminal records.

Bahraini Men Raped And Tortured

In the past few months, Bahraini men have been raped, given electric shocks and brutally tortured by government officials without being guilty for anything reports, Herald Sun.

The claims and stories poured in after when the Bahraini government said it would lift the state of emergency in March, after anti-government protesters took over Pearl Roundabout, in the capital city of Manama and confronted the police.

Shiite Muslim men have been secretly interviewed with their identities not being disclosed.  They have recorded testimonials against their government as evidence ‘to show the true face of Bahrain’.

Six Shiite men said they were abducted from the streets by police officials loyal to the Sunni regime of the country, and were taken to jails where they were barbarically tortured and wounded.

“They tried to hurt us in places that people couldn’t see, in ways that wouldn’t leave evidence. But you can always see,” according to 20 year-old Mahmoud, who claims he was not involved in any of the protests or political activity.

He continued telling the terrible part of his story when his jailers shamed him by forcing him to strip naked, taunted and teased him for hours before raping him.

The young man will live with this for the rest of his life.  ”I can never forget what they did to me,” says Mahmoud.

The government of Bahrain is on to abusing, torturing and silencing people.

Man Had Sex With Seven Sheep

Humans are degrading themselves day by day.  Just when you think you’re reading a terrible news, along comes another one that’s even worse.

This time it’s a man in Ghana.  36-year-old Amable,  a carpenter by profession is sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment for having sex with 7 of his sheep.  His partner, Amadu who is a security guard found the guilty man naked in the backyard garden.  The incident took place at around midnight when Amadu was awoken by the bleating of one of the sheep in a pen and found a sheep helplessly lying on the ground.

Amina Filali Kills Herself For Having To Marry Her Rapist

Some time ago there was a topic that had been up for discussion on the Speak for Change Facebook page where it was discussed whether the rape victim be married to their rapist? This was triggered by an actual decision taken in Afghanistan, (not surprisingly by an all-male jury). From analyzing majority of the comments the conclusion was that most of the people were in favor of this decision.

There were two sides of the arguments regarding this topic. One of the sides argued why make the girl suffer even further after all she has gone through? Marrying and then living with the man who has raped her will only remind her of the torture she had been put through every single day of her remaining life.

It’s not like if she marries him he will become a good a responsible person all of a sudden but chances are he will continue to abuse her even after that which is why it is a horribly unfair, unjust and wrong decision.

The other side of the argument was that a girl who has been raped will never be accepted by another man or the society which is why she should be married to her rapist. That will reinforce her honor, give her financial security and will even make the rapist responsible for fixing the mess he had created by accepting his responsibilities as a husband.

My opinion was that it is a highly inappropriate choice to make on the part of society and those who think in this manner are obviously inconsiderate. I mean how many of you would marry of your daughter to their rapists if God forbid this had happened with them? It is easy to pass judgments and make decisions but only the victim knows what they have to deal with at the hands of this prejudiced society.

On this note I would like to highlight one particular incident that had taken place very recently in Morocco, hoping to change the minds of those who support marrying a rape victim to her rapist.

A 16 year old girl Amina Filali who was forcefully married to her abuser, and was unable to bear the torture of this situation committed suicide by consuming rat poison.

Under the Morocco’s penal code the “kidnapper” of a minor is allowed to marry the victim to escape prosecution. This same law had been exploited and used to marry off rapists to the victims, like in Amina Filali’s case. This law only applies if the victim and both families give consent which was clearly not the case here.

It is obvious that Moroccon law plays to the morality of the public but not the victims of brutal crimes. The father of the girl had told journalists in an interview that the court literally forced marriage upon his daughter even after the rapist had refused. He only agreed to it to save himself from the penalty of having to live in prison for about ten to twenty years.

Amina had complained to her mother several times about being beaten up by her husband but her mother asked her to remain silent and be patient. When Amina could take it no more she ended her life.

What kind of a selfish mother would compromise her daughter’s wellbeing for the sake of keeping her ‘respect’ among the eyes of the public?

I would now like to ask those who favor marrying girls off to rapists to ‘regain’ their honor if after the case of Amina Filali they still stand by the same opinion? Do you really think a rapist will change after being married off to the girl he abused? Getting him married to her is like giving him a present rather than strict punishment which he deserves for his crime? Don’t you agree?

Boy Raped By Pakistani UN Peacekeepers

Peacekeepers are supposed to help maintain peace in the country not disrupt it. The patriotic Pakistanis may feel offended for their soldiers being criticized and pin pointed at but the truth cannot be denied. The incident that has been highlighted by the several news channels a few days ago is highly shameful for Pakistan and Pakistanis.

According to several news reports three days ago two Pakistani UN peacekeepers were found guilty of raping a 14 year old boy in Haiti. The only action that has been taken against them is that they have been sentenced to one year in prison and have also been court martialed.

The soldiers were declared guilty by a Pakistani military tribunal in Haiti and as per decision they will be facing charges back in their homeland Pakistan. This is where people of Haiti are protesting and demanding that the soldiers be punished according to the law enforced by the government of Haiti rather than being sent home.

They feel if the crime was committed in their country then they should be charged according to their laws. Which is fair don’t you think?

Though it would be unfair to just hold Pakistanis responsible and blame them for such incidents. This is not the first time that such as incident has occurred at the hands of UN officials. Just last year 5 Uruguayan soldiers were accused of sexually assaulting a teenage boy at the UN base.

These incidents have been occurring a little too often. We need go into depth and think as to why. To balance out both sides is compulsory. These soldiers are kept away from home for several years and fighting in war is not at all pleasant. Sometimes it is unfavorable conditions that mentally disturb you and make you act like barbarians. To see someone blown up to bits, to take a life or see someone die is not very easy but these soldiers are exposed to all this every day.

Then comes is human need. Sexual requirements are built in every human being and these soldiers have a right to attain that need as well. Don t you think keeping these soldiers away from their families and depriving them of their sexual rights is what drives them to the extent of such frustration? As a result of it they start to act like animals.

Not that there is any justification for them to do what they did but shouldn’t soldiers be sent back home to their families often enough so they can fulfill their needs in the correct manner. Isn’t it true when blinded by lust men lose the ability to think straight?

Do you think being court martialed and sentenced to one year in prison is enough for the two Pakistani UN peace keepers who raped a 14 year old boy in Haiti? Doesn’t it get you thinking why these incidents are happening so often at the hands of those who serve in military forces? Are the unfavorable conditions that these soldiers live in resulting in such actions?

Is this why you hear of such actions in jails, boarding schools, churches, madrassas or from workers away from their families for months and years?  What is the solution? Counseling? Training? Or exemplary punishment?

Rape In Prison

Every day somewhere in the world, someone is put into prison. With or without trial, guilty or not guilty, someone’s being locked up everyday. Their crime may be big or small, but in prison everyone is treated the same, everyone gets their striped pyjama suits, everyone get a cell and everyone

Don’t Kill, Put Them In The Cradle!

Would you ever throw away a soul which is a part of you? I guess not! However, there are people who throw away foetuses or new born babies.Why is this even an option for the parents? Don’t they know the consequences of a physical relationship?

Before we get judgemental here, the relationship could not necessarily be out of irresponsibility, but could be a forced one, like in the case of rape. Another reason is extreme poverty and a bias against contraceptive methods.

Thank God there are solutions to avoid these terrifying acts. In Pakistan there is an NGO, Edhi Welfare Trust which keeps a cradle outside each office, urging people to put the babies they are planning to abandon in them, instead of harming them by throwing them on garbage dumps. Then later on these babies are given to childless couples or kept in orphanages.

This is a trend that has been adopted by some other social welfare organizations too. Please speak up for this change! Tell more people about it so innocent lives can be saved.

RAPE VICTIM

Rape is a vicious crime which prevails in every country around the world.  The after effects of rape are horrible out of which one is that specific memory that lives on with a girl or a woman for the rest of her life.  There are thousands of women who suffer mental torture after being raped. A majority of these women reach the stage of abnormality which is difficult to cure.

Related to the crime of rape, a shocking incident was reported in the news on the July 5, 2011,where a female foreign journalist acted her own rape because of being severely troubled with stress.

Mac McClelland, 31, a civil rights reporter for Mother Jones, was on a duty in Haiti in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake when she met a woman she called Sybille – who had been raped at gunpoint and brutally mutilated by a gang of men, reports The Daily Mail.

McClelland was so traumatized after hearing Sybille’s story that in order to cure it she had to simulate her own rape.

The Facebook page of Speak for Change also had a status update referring to the same incident.

“The trauma of rape and violence.  Journalist stages her OWN rape to cure trauma of witnessing sex attack on woman in Haiti.”

Copy-pasted below is the thread of comments on this status.

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  Hamza Chaudhary Thats sick !
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  Hamza Chaudhary ‎”stages her own rape” lol
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  Hamza Chaudhary Read the comments below the article.
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  Aqsa Butt pagal de putar!
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  Hibah Naz There’s nothing funny about this. She needed help. Imagine if you were raped. How would you feel?
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  DrUzma Imtiaz women is the sufferer everywhere in the world.why?very sad.
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  Rafia Jabbar hmmm sad.
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  Amna Mahmood tch tch..
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  Hamza Chaudhary ‎@Hibah: She needed help so she staged her own rape ? What are you trying to say ?
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  Hamza Chaudhary She wasn’t raped at the first place. Please read the article before commenting. She only witnessed a rape and due to its trauma she staged her own rape. Well if you dont find it funny and stupid then what exactly is you find human and sane in it ?
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  Hamza Chaudhary She asked her friends to rape her beat her. Kudos to admin.
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  Maham S OMG. What a psycho of a women she is. Disgusting is the word for this. She along with whoever suggested her this needs to be hanged for this stupidity.
  Hell no duress this is but her way of get rid of her sexual frustration and at the same time earning publicity out of it. I wonder if you can get any cheaper than this?
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  Helen Mogan Out of bounds.
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  Sidra Riaz Instead of being reactive, we`re supposed to be pro-active. We shuould rather come up with solutions.
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  Hibah Naz ‎@Sidra What kind of solutions do you have in mind? Care to share?
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  Michelle Michael This is ridiculous but does make some sense. But question is how does one get so traumatized that they start acting like that?? Sounds silly. I have a feeling this story isn’t made up.
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  Zulfiqar Muree they r made for fame. but they also are crazy abt doing anything tht they feel different.
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  Maheen Zakaria I think it’s a popularity stunt. seriously. but then she di visit a psychiatrist. Might be she did have some major issues which we cant relate too. or else the psychiatrist would have let her go for it :/ Though im surprised why she got SO traumatized. This is an extreme. there are ppl who dont get affected at ALL by such issues, and then there are those like her (the first one Ive read abt). :/

You can comment on this post and tell us what you think about Mac McClelland’s story.