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Mukhtar Mai
Her name is Mukhtaran Bibi, but she has come to be known as Mukhtar Mai, which means "respected big sister," after her story first became known.
Mukhtaran Bibi was in the news for a brief time in 2002 and then was forgotten until recently. She is the Pakistani woman who was sentenced by a tribal council to be gang-raped for an alleged offense of her younger brother. Several of her neighbors carried out the sentence, brutally raping her and forcing her to walk naked through her village. She was meant to be so shamed that she would commit suicide, but instead she found the courage to overcome her disgrace. She demanded the prosecution of her attackers, and six were sentenced to death.
Mukhtaran received $8300 in compensation, a substantial sum in her remote region of Pakistan. Instead of using the funds to move to Islamabad where she could escape from her shame, she decided to start a school for girls in her village. With additional contributions from many who learned of her efforts through the media, the school now provides elementary education and literacy training to 130 poor and orphan girls. Mai and her friends operate the school themselves, and until now they have been supplying books, uniforms, and shoes to the girls without assistance from the Pakistani government or any non-profit organizations.
Mukhtaran’s story might have ended here, except that on March 3, 2005 a Pakistani court overturned the death sentences of all six men who raped her and ordered five of them freed. The case has become an embarrassment for the Pakistani government as her story became more widely known, forcing the courts to reverse themselves.
Mukhtaran's story of heartbreak and triumph is sadly typical of countless stories of women and girls in poor countries around the world. The exploitation of women, particularly in poor countries, is the most serious abuse of human rights in the world today. Tens of millions of women and girls in Asia alone are exploited for their labor, working long hours for pennies a day to supply cheap goods to discount stores like Wal-Mart. Countless thousands of young girls in poor countries are trafficked for sex, the most heinous crime in the world today. Women (and girls) in poor countries die at a rate of one per minute from complications of childbirth without the most basic of health services.
Concerned persons should make every effort to commit their resources and advocacy to issues of gender equity. Wealthy nations should be held accountable for their role in the exploitation of the world’s poor women and girls. Each of us should find a way to make a contribution, however small, to the health, welfare, education, and dignity of our sisters.
Read more about Mukhtaran Bibi at Mercy Corps.
Resources from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
For more than 30 years, UNFPA has been in the forefront of bringing gender issues to wider attention, promoting legal and policy reforms, supporting projects that empower women economically and politically, and promoting the human rights and status of women.
March 11, 2005 - News update on the Pakistani court ruling from the Associated Press...
Pakistan's highest Islamic court today reinstated the convictions of the five men sentenced to death for raping Mukhtar Mai, following a firestorm of criticism after a lower tribunal ordered the suspects freed.
In its decision the Shariat Court ruled that the lower court had no authority to hear the case. The Shariat Court has the power to overturn decisions involving Islamic law, such as in instances of rape, adultery and some cases of murder. The court indicated it would hear the men's appeal, but did not say when. All six men remain in jail.
Violence against women is common in deeply conservative Pakistan, particularly in rural areas where the government has little control. Hundreds of women are killed or brutally disfigured - often at the hands of their fathers, brothers or husbands - in so-called "honor" attacks. The government had promised to crack down on such attacks following Mai's rape, but women's rights activists say little has changed for most women.
New Developments...
Friday, June 10, 2005
A Pakistani court has ordered the release of twelve men connected to the gang-rape of Mukhtar Mai. The order came from the high court of the central province of Punjab. Authorities had petitioned the court to extend the detention of the twelve, but the court rejected the plea.
This is the latest twist in a case that provoked an outcry in Pakistan and focused international attention on the treatment of women in the country. Six men were originally convicted of the crime and sentenced to death, but five were later acquitted on appeal to the Punjab provincial court, which cited a lack of evidence. A sixth man had his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment.
The provincial government subsequently intervened and ordered that the men be detained for three months pending the outcome of an appeal by the victim against the acquittal. Six men who served on the village council were detained at the same time.
The review board has now ruled that there is no justification for the detention of the twelve and has ordered their release. Mai expressed fears for her life after the provincial high court announced the acquittals in March. This new development once again puts her at risk as she continues to live in her village and operate the school for girls she started after the incident.
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Just a day after those who gang-raped Mukhtar Mai were ordered freed from jail, she learned that her name is on a government list of persons who cannot leave Pakistan. The police originally assigned to protect her are now detaining her, telling her that she cannot leave her home in the village of Meerwala, where her life would be endangered if those who raped her are allowed to return. No explanation has been given for the decision to restrict her movements. She is not allowed to travel to Islamabad to meet with her lawyer, making it difficult for her to pursue her appeal of the order to free those who assaulted her.
It is often the case that those who have been victimized by rape, torture, or other forms of oppression remain victims, with little protection under the law and little recourse against their perpetrators. It seems to be especially true in regions of the world where the rights of women are patently ignored.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Under intense international pressure the Pakistani government has reversed its position in the case of Mukhtar Mai. Pakistan's Supreme Court today overturned the decision to release the thirteen men accused of gang-raping Mukhtar Mai and ordered them returned to custody. The government's handling of the case has caused considerable damage to its image in the international community, as it has highlighted the glaring injustices of Pakistan's treatment of women.
The ruling came a day after an emotional appeal by the victim, who was raped in 2002 on orders from a village council, allegedly as punishment for her 13-year-old brother's illicit affair with a woman from a higher-caste family. Mai and her family deny any affair ever took place, saying the brother was in fact sexually assaulted by members of the other family. Earlier the government lifted the ban on travel it had imposed on Mukhtar Mai, after admitting that it had attempted to restrict her movements to avoid embarrassment to the government.
Additional resources at Asian-American Network Against Abuse of Women.
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