Monday, January 12, 2009

Afghan rape victim forced to undergo life-threatening abortion  

1 comments
This is appalling. It's also possibly triggering, so don't continue if you get sensitive when reading about violence against women.

In Afghanistan, a 14 year-old girl was recently admitted to a hospital after being raped and forced to undergo an abortion. When she was five months pregnant, her mother held her down while her brother used a razor to perform the abortion, then sewed up the wound with thick string. The procedure left her in critical condition.

Their justification stems from the fact that in Afghanistan, where extramarital sex is illegal, rape victims are their families usually suffer from severe social stigma. This sometimes leads to honor killings. It's painful to think about.

What next?

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1 comments: to “ Afghan rape victim forced to undergo life-threatening abortion


  • January 13, 2009 at 8:53 AM  

    I have never heard of a forced abortion like that. The brother must have cut through her stomach to have a wound to sew? I can't even imagine the pain that poor little girl went through. Sadly, rape victims in Afghanistan are routinely jailed, burned to death, stoned, or otherwise killed, just because a woman is not allowed to have sex outside of marriage. Makes sense, doesn't it? I read about girls, almost toddlers, getting gang-raped on a daily basis in Afghanistan. We were supposed to believe that the War on Terror would liberate Afghan women, but eight years later, things are even worse (except, possibly, in the few urban centers).

    Please go to www.rawa.org for more information on crimes against women and the struggle for women's rights in Afghanistan.