Whipping of a rape victim (Bangladesh Daily Star editorial)

Court order on extrajudicial penalties disregarded

JUSTICE has been made a farce of once again. In a shocking repetition of misuse of fatwa, a rape victim was at the receiving end of a hundred and one lashes; the punishment was fixed through local arbitration participated by some village elders in a village in Kashba upazilla. And the rapist is roaming scot-free.

The incident is shocking not only for the gruesome brutality meted out to the 16 year old girl, but also because of the attitude of the law enforcing agency who did not act promptly enough to prevent the whipping or take cognisance of the incident later. It is very clear that the High Court directive to the police, issued in August 2009, to investigate all extrajudicial punishments, has not been fully implemented. Had that been the case the perpetrators would have been brought to justice and made examples of, and this would have acted as a deterrent to others.

The recent incident is disturbing on two counts. It demonstrates once again that helpless women, who are victims of rape and other forms of torture, not only cannot seek redress of law, they and their parents are further subjected to physical and mental torture including social ostracisation, as in the recent case in Kashba.

The other disturbing aspect is the role of the police. We cannot comprehend the statement the OC of Kashba PS that he would take appropriate action if the victim filed a case in this regard. He is in clear breach of the High Court directives in this regard. It is even more disturbing because three women have been victims of lashing as result of fatwa in this very district during the current month ...

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=123298

<edit:> LBN thread:
Rape victim receives 101 lashes for becoming pregnant
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4241933

I think it most appropriate to be concerned about the lashing of a teenager for getting pregnant, but so much regarding this story is not being presented or is being inconsistently presented.

From what I can tell, the girl got pregnant, several months later she was married (perhaps an arranged marriage), then she divorced when her husband found out she was 6 months or so pregnant, then she alleged rape and had an abortion.

Was there a rape? We'll probably never know!

Who fathered of the aborted child? We'll probably never know!

I suspect that, from what I have seen reported, no rape conviction would result in this country.

For purposes of public discussion, I think the various issues should be separated and considered separately:

> Rape
> Alleged rape
> Evidence of rape
> Arranged marriages
> Punishment
> Media
> Abortion
> Divorce
> Cultural differences
> Teenage sex
> etc., etc.

Revenue Ruling 70-549, but I'm not finding your identification of the issues here very useful. The issues seem to me to be matters such as

> Discriminatory treatment of women
> Violence against women
> Extrajudicial punishment
> etc etc