An Afghan woman, who was raped by her cousin's husband when she was
barely 16-years-old, was subsequently jailed for adultery and then forced to
marry her attacker. The woman, only identified as Gulnaz, has told her story to CNN,
and the interview highlights the shambolic state of women's rights in
Afghanistan.
Gulnaz was raped by Asadullah in 2009, and as a result of the attack,
she became pregnant with her eldest daughter, Smile. Rather than offering
sympathy and kindness after the tragic events, her brothers shunned her and
declared that, because she was unmarried, she had "shamed" the
family.
A court sentenced Gulnaz to two years in prison for a 'crime' labelled
'adultery by force', and when she appealed, they found her guilty once more and
increased her jail time to 12 years. In order to reduce her sentence, Gulnaz
married her attacker in 2013, and she tells CNN that she only
agreed so that her daughter could live a shame-free life.
She said:
"I didn't want to ruin the life of my daughter
or leave myself helpless so I agreed to marry him. We are traditional people.
When we get a bad name, we prefer death to living with that name in
society."
Gulnaz, who reportedly refused to look her attacker in the eye
throughout the interview, has been married to Asadullah for two years and is
pregnant with his third child. Asadullah showed no remorse as Gulnaz explained
her harrowing situation, instead telling cameras that he feels he did her a
favour by marrying her.
He said:
"If I hadn't married her according to our
traditions, she couldn't have lived back in society. Her brothers didn't want
to accept her back. Now, she doesn't have any of those problems."
Asadullah is still married to Gulnaz's cousin, with whom he has five
children, and the three adults and seven kids all live in one home together.
Though a third appeal saw Gulnaz released from jail, and the rule that she must
marry her attacker was dropped, she agreed to the wedding over living a life of
poverty.
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