Friday, November 10, 2006

Women's Issue 2 - News Report

LUCKNOW, India (AP) -- A man in northern Indian will be publicly slapped 51 times as punishment after village elders found him guilty of raping a neighbor who is deaf and mute, a village chief said Friday.

The elders stepped in to review the case because local police had failed to arrest the accused man after a complaint was filed by the victim's husband, village head Badr-ul Hasan told The Associated Press.

"Police told us that since the woman is deaf and mute, she is not able to narrate the incident," Hasan said. A village court made up of five elders heard from both sides on Wednesday. It found the man guilty, fined him 5,000 rupees (US$110, euro90), and ordered he be publicly slapped with an open hand 51 times, he said.

"We can't do more than that. The village court doesn't have powers to arrest anyone," said Hasan. " By public slapping, the court wants to put (him) to shame."

Communicating through hand signals, the woman, a mother of three, said she was raped in a field last Sunday when returning home from work in Rampur, 330 kilometers (205 miles) northwest of Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.

Village courts generally settle land disputes and other disagreements among residents, not criminal offenses. But many rape cases go unreported in India, especially in villages, since women fear further harassment by police, who often work with corrupt local politicians and landlords.

Police inspector C.N. Singh said officers were still investigating her complaint. "A case will be registered only if police find proof that the woman was raped. We are inquiring from children who were playing in the field then," Singh said.

If convicted by a state criminal court, the man could be sentenced to death.

10 comments:

Daddy's Girl said...

Which kain punishment be dat one? Slaps for sexually violating a woman? Slaps? Nonsense.

This is an interesting article sha, it shows the tension between traditional modes of 'justice' and modern systems.

Off topic, I hear we made our first trade. Yay! I 'ham' 'hegzaited'.

Uzo said...

I know. This punishment is bizarre but like you said, shows a different perspective...

Yes, i have the DVDs and ham mega hegzaited. Let me know what you think....

Bella Naija said...

Sad!!
I think that is far from enough punishment.
So he gets the slaps and moves on with his life while she is stuck with the scars of the assault forever....
Sad!!

NaijaBloke said...

Which kain yeye punishment be that 51 slaps ke for raping ..when dem suppose cut hin ding dong comot ,...

Have a nice weekend

soul said...

the woman is mute and deaf, but that has not stopped her from communicating all her life.
She can communicate was has happened to her and they should listen.
51 slaps does not equate violation.

I'm just really irritated and annoyed at this.

Anonymous said...

Thats all he gets, 51 slaps? Yeah, thats just enough punishment for a rape, oh! and publicly too? oh the horror...;(

Anonymous said...

He deserves a whipping on his bare, wrinkled bum. Slaps? Hardly effective.

Biodun said...

WHT, slapped 51 times??? So much for justice huh, it really upsets me, how women r treated!

Through these eyes said...

How sad. Don't they have jails? Why the public slapping. Do they not have DNA testing. Can't they take swabs from her vagina, if she's deaf and dumb? Thank God I don't live there.

Nigeria has her own fair share of human rights violations. India and Bangledesh are not too far removed from the problems we face.

Thanks again for the post.

Uzo said...

Yup! It appears that 51 slaps ought to punish this man for violating this woman. Indeedy.....

Why bother with DNA testing and the whole rigmarole of a trial. Just slap the man silly.