Dear Editor,
A report out of Saudi Arabia says that King Fahd has pardoned the victim of a rape. The woman was gang raped by seven men. She went to the court to seek justice but was punished with jail time and 90 lashes for being outside of her home without a family member. She appealed the verdict and the appeal court increased the lashes to 200. Is this any way to provide justice to a victim of rape?
In strict Islamic Saudi Arabia, a female cannot be seen outside the home without a family member and she cannot drive a vehicle. It is not clear if the rape victim was alone because some newspapers reported she was with her husband and he too was raped by the scoundrels. The rape was not in dispute because all seven confessed to the crime. They did not expect the act to reach the court because in Saudi Arabia the victims of rape are almost always punished and the rapists are almost always let off. But this case caught the attention of the world community. And President Bush was embarrassed by it when he was asked by a reporter what he thought of the punishment of the rape victim. He responded that he was angry and did not know what he would have done if the victim were his daughter. The king paid quick attention. For two weeks, he did not intervene to commute the woman’s sentence. But when Bush condemned the barbaric punishment, King Fahd pardoned the woman. The king should now commute the sentences of the many other victims of rape who are languishing in jail for similar cases.
Women must be treated with respect and be given full equality in all societies in all acts of endeavour regardless of their religious beliefs. There are many victims of rape in Guyana where these kinds of crimes go unreported because of the shame and ostracism that follow. Several cases were brought to my attention committed by government officials and ranking officers of the security forces. The victims are unwilling to take action because of the fear of losing their jobs. Employees in the private sector have also suffered similar sexual offences without reporting them for fear of losing their income. The teenager who was sexually brutalized at Barama did the right thing in reporting that savage act to the police. Let the matter be settled in court. Others should also develop similar courage to report their attackers even if they are government officials and people whose job it is to enforce the law.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
