Rape Victim Forced to Marry Her Rapist

[Morgan Ellis]

From http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=978132004

Snippet of story:

On the order of the court in Berhampur, Ahammad Shaikh, 30, tied the knot with Sabina Khatoon, 18, inside the local prison where he is serving his sentence.

Shaikh kidnapped Khatoon - the daughter of a daily wage labourer - from her village and raped her in a nearby forest in March this year.

After her father complained of the rape to the police in June, Shaikh was arrested. In the court he admitted having raped the teenager and was sent to prison for the deed...

Khatoon, who looked very happy after the marriage, said: "For that act [of rape] I hated him. Sometimes I felt like I wanted to tear him to pieces.

"But I have a different feeling for him now. I have forgiven him because he has chosen me as his wife. I have to love him now."

-- Morgan

 

[TheNiteHwk]

this is the part that I like

<"In recent weeks, at the order of the courts, at least three such marriages between rapists and their victims have taken place inside jails in eastern India.

In all the cases concerned, judges ordered the release of the rapist prisoners when the marriage certificates were produced in the court.">

So what's this the latest scam to get away with rape?

Don't tell me there is not some money exchanging hands here somewhere.

Excuse me... I suddenly feel very sick.

 

[Morgan Ellis]

Next article we read about these 2 will involve the words "beat" or "murder".

Or:

"In a scene reminscent of the John Wayne Bobbit saga..."


But that's likely just wishful thinking on my part.

I'd settle for:

"Local woman beats rapist/husband to death with blunt object - community hails her as hero, erects statue and holds parade."


-- Morgan

 

[Peace4u]

Well this is nuts,the woman is ostricized and the man gets away with rape by marrying the gal.I dont think that means hes repentant s the article stated,just wants to get out of jail.Backward thinking there.

 

[shinyam]

All's well that ends well?

Seriously, that is one of the most bizarre things I've heard.

 

[BigBlack]

What a sad concept. Like a girl? Rape her and she is yours.

BB

 

[GQ.Hero]

Well this is nuts,the woman is ostricized and the man gets away with rape by marrying the gal.I dont think that means hes repentant s the article stated,just wants to get out of jail.Backward thinking there.

I guess this is the new age of cave men, instead of hitting the girl over the head with a club to marry her, you now rape her.

Unflippen believable!

GQ

 

[midLifeCrisis]

Re: this is the part that I like

So what's this the latest scam to get away with rape?

They must have learned it through study of laws in the Anglo-Saxon world.

It is not so long ago that it was impossible, under the law, to have raped one's wife - she having given her consent when she said "I do".

 

[LeatherDoll]

This has to do with CULTURAL attitudes ...

(Someone correct me if I have gotten this wrong, but I am pretty sure this is it

Once a woman in India has been sexually involved in ANY way - including rape - she is considered "spoiled" and no longer eligible for marriage (or any other kinds of value, protection, respect, etc); there is still a predominant reliance on arranged marriage. Many women in this position end up living homeless; having the rapists forced to marry these women is actually a means of saving her from a life of complete ostracization and isolation as a societal pariah. In some ways, it is also (considered) a form of punishment for him, because he has been denied a pure and appropriate wife.

I find it interesting that these men had been jailed for the crime in the first place. Obviously the continued safety of the women is of concern; particularly if his need for her has been met now that he is out of jail.

In a similar example, but from the other side, there was another case earlier in the year where a married woman who became pregnant from a rape was ordered put to death for adultery.

 

[Nibbler]

Leatherdoll, you are correct. That is still part of the culture in India.

 

[midLifeCrisis]

Is women's liberation here to stay in India?

MARK WILLIAMS
The reaction of the authorities to such abuse can be callous. Following the rape of a patient at one of Delhi’s leading hospitals in May this year, the National Commission for Women reported that police not only misled the victim’s family about vital evidence that could have been used to prove the rape charges, but also tried to broker a marriage between the victim and the accused.

"Marry her off, or how will she live with the stigma of rape?" the report quotes an official as asking the victim’s mother. Sexual harassment is referred to in the media as innocent-sounding "eve-teasing".

The third world has diffent views from ours


Rural Indian women protest rape verdict

JENNIFER MORROW
Thousands of women are raped every year in India and some statistics estimate...at least one woman is raped every hour.

However, few dare to take their cases to trial either because of the stigma attached to rape victims or out of fear of retribution from their assailants.

Bhanwari, who attended the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September, told United Press International she continues to be ostracized and harassed by members of the dominant caste of her village.

Several weeks ago, she said, some relatives of the accused tried to strangle her and warned her of future attacks.

No Honour In Honour Killings

Dr Bhaskar Dasgupta
The story of 16-year-old Kifaya Husayn of Jordan, who was killed by her elder brother, is particularly bewildering. What was her crime? She was raped by another of her brothers while her uncles judged that she had to die to save the family honour.

Jordan's women fight to repeal honour killing law

Karen Thomas
Between 25 and 30 so-called honour crimes come to trial each year - a third of all Jordan's reported murders - but experts believe the true level runs at double that figure, as many families report that the victims have committed suicide or run away.

Campaigners say those killed in honour crimes have included victims of rape and incest and even women who were the subject of malicious gossip.

But article 340 of the Jordan penal code states: "He who discovers his wife or a female relative committing adultery and kills, wounds or injures one or both of them is exempted from any penalty."

 

[because]

This is similar to the ancient Hebrew laws.

Deuteronomy 22:28 If a man happens to meet a virgin who is not pledged to be married and rapes her and they are discovered, 29 he shall pay the girl's father fifty shekels of silver. He must marry the girl, for he has violated her. He can never divorce her as long as he lives.

(Hope I didn't give anyone cardiac arrest by quoting the "good book" on this forum)

I wonder if any Islamic fundamentalist countries practice this as well. It's amazing such not just dark-age, but "pitch-black-age" practices still exist in the 21st century.

 

[pool]

Great post, Leatherdoll. It's refeshing to see that yourself and apparently some others are able to state facts and not place any real judgement.

While my values, which to some extent reflect that of our culture, may not find the morality of the outcome in this incident acceptable, I do not feel it is my place to judge other cultures. Attempting to place such things that stem from cultural and/or religious beliefs into our own history and assume it's a stage prior to that of "progression" is somewhat arrogant IMO.

We seem to forget that to a large extent we are who we are due to place of birth and environment. Maybe it's us who needs educating ...

 

[Guy7]

From http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=978132004

OMG the story ends like a Jungle Law, in which uncivilized country this happened, its really very sad, that a women is still treated like a toy


Snippet of story:

On the order of the court in Berhampur, Ahammad Shaikh, 30, tied the knot with Sabina Khatoon, 18, inside the local prison where he is serving his sentence.

Shaikh kidnapped Khatoon - the daughter of a daily wage labourer - from her village and raped her in a nearby forest in March this year.

After her father complained of the rape to the police in June, Shaikh was arrested. In the court he admitted having raped the teenager and was sent to prison for the deed...

Khatoon, who looked very happy after the marriage, said: "For that act [of rape] I hated him. Sometimes I felt like I wanted to tear him to pieces.

"But I have a different feeling for him now. I have forgiven him because he has chosen me as his wife. I have to love him now."

-- Morgan

 

[Jade4u]

Get this, I just heard from a man tonight when I told him of this thread. He said it is possable also that they loved each other previously before this alleged rape and the family denied this marriage. She may have been told to marry another so in fact it is possable that the rape was a planned rape so that she in fact would have permission to marry this man.

I just do not get it how could you force anyone to marry someone that they do not want to marry and then also deny them the right to be with the man that they want to begin with. yes infact if this indeed is a true rape than the girl obviously does not love him and indeed in my opinion it will be her that is doing the jail sentence and not him.

 

[Morgan Ellis]

You know what? Screw political correctness.

What, just because someone's religious beliefs say it's OK to do something horrific, I have to be alright with this? Well, I'm not.

You can dress things up under the guise of 'cultural differences' or 'differing religious value systems' all you want, but an atrocity is still an atrocity, and I don't have to sit back and act all nicey-nicey about it.

Christians were feeding people to the lions and burning people at the stake not so many centuries ago - if they were STILL doing it, would we be expected to sit here and spout bullshit about "Well, we might not like it, but they're Christians, and we need to allow them their religious freedom". I certainly hope we wouldn't - I hope we'd call them on that sort of bullshit, and I feel fully validated to do the same when it comes to any other religion or cultural group that violates, harms or degrades individuals and then cloaks it in a shroud of 'you're not one of us - you wouldn't understand.'

Screw that. It's wrong, and I personally hope she wakes up and smacks him the skull with a frying pan one day really, really, really soon.

-- Morgan

 

[Morgan Ellis]

He said it is possable also that they loved each other previously before this alleged rape and the family denied this marriage.

Quote from the original article (emphasis by moi):

"For that act [of rape] I hated him. Sometimes I felt like I wanted to tear him to pieces.

"But I have a different feeling for him now. I have forgiven him because he has chosen me as his wife. I have to love him now."

Yes, those sound the like the words of every giddy, deliriously happy, blushing bride I've ever met.

-- Morgan

 

[Morgan Ellis]

Well, it might not help them, but I always do enjoy a good morning pre-coffee rant.

I've been an Amnesty Internationl suppporter for about six years now, as well as click for a cause.

At any rate, I don't think this has anything to do with applying 'my values' - I think that any rational society, no matter what religion, culture or ethnicity, would have issues with this sort of outrageous behaviour. And, if they don't, well screw them too.

OK, off to Starbucks for me, before I throttle someone.

-- Morgan

 

[BiggieE]

I guess it's just the un-enlightened American in me, but I find this event to be rather disgusting...I hope she does a Bobbit on him....

 

[Morgan Ellis]

Hey I got some pills that will take you down from that rush.

Hey, I pay almost six bucks a cup for this particular brand of rush - the last thing I want is something to bring me down from it

I'm going to have to find a twelve step program for coffee addicts soon.

-- Morgan