WHAT KIND OF A JUSTICE IS THIS?

A young girl of 10 years of age will soon, in all probability, be sorely punished for a crime she never knew she was committing. She might have already been punished, for that matter.Her crime: bringing “shame to the family”. The jury pronouncing this sentence: her very own family and the great society. Her punishment: either death or a life worse than death.Howsoever sad and ironic it may sound, the little girl is entirely unaware of how and when she committed the gravest of the crimes, for, as far as every sense and logic in the world goes, she is the “victim”.

The ten year old minor, who was raped by a 45 -year old mullah in a pious, sacred mosque in Kunduz in Afghanistan is now on the verge of being killed by her very own family in the name of “honor” if the family sucuumbs to outside pressure, which in high probability, they will. Or by now might even have.

After having stayed in the Women For Afghan Women shelter which gave rescue to the girl for a few days after the horrific rape, the police handed the girl over to her family who had been openly talking about carrying out an “honor killing” against her.

Not only her, but even the head of the Women for Afghan Women shelter here where the girl took refuge, Dr. Hassina Sarwari, was at one point driven into hiding by death threats from the girl’s family and other mullahs (for offering the little girl shelter).She wants to now flee, fearing for her life.

If this is not shameful and abominable enough, there is more.

In the victims defense has come the rapist himself who had earlier termed the rape, so brutal that the girl suffered a break in the wall between the vagina and the rectum, as ‘consensual’ .

The sinful mullah, Mohammad Amin who had committed the gruesome crime is now offering to “marry her” claiming that the girl is not of her age but rather much older.

However, the records of the hospital in which he was admitted has something entirely different to tell. The records indicate that the child weighed just 40 pounds and had yet to start menstruating. Her mother had also earlier said that she was only 10.

What is even more deplorable (or maybe not) is the volte-face that her family has recently taken in respect to her age. The family, as reported by Annahar newspaper has stated that the girl is much older in order to be able to get her married to her assailant.

The hapless little child had been given to her family on Tuesday this week. Its been more than four days and there is simply no information about the fate of the ill-fated girl.

She might have been killed or if she had stars on her side, might have been married off to her rapist. In both cases, she has been a casualty of the atrocious lamentable norms of the society.

Which makes us ask the unanswered questions again- What kind of justice is this? What kind of a society is this?