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A PREGNANT SUDANESE teenager has been handed a one-month jail term for “indecent acivity” after being gang-raped, according to her lawyer.
“But the sentence was suspended because she is pregnant,” Samia Hashmi told AFP.
The woman was also fined 5,000 pounds (€640).
A man whose video of others having sex with the pregnant Ethiopian teen created a rare case of Internet controversy in the conservative nation was sentenced to 40 lashes the lawyer said.
Hashmi said three men who admitted to having sex with the woman were sentenced to 100 lashes while another man who filmed the acts received the 40-lash penalty for distributing indecent material.
“He was also fined 10,000 pounds and if he doesn’t pay he will be jailed for six months,” the lawyer said, adding two other men were acquitted after the trial in Khartoum.
The video published on social media showed sex acts and some of the men laughing.
Despite the popularity of mobile messaging service WhatsApp in Sudan, this was a rare case of such a crime being publicly flaunted in the conservative nation, where women risk flogging for leaving their hair uncovered under morality laws which took effect after the 1989 Islamist-backed coup by President Omar al-Bashir.
The Strategic Initiative for Women in the Horn of Africa (SIHA Network), a regional association of women’s groups, said the 18-year-old pregnant woman was lured to an empty property and attacked while house-hunting last year.
Arrests were made after publication of the video in January, SIHA Network said on its website.
Hala Elkarib, the group’s regional director, said the verdict reflects the substantial challenges victims of sexual violence face in pursuing justice.
“It will also serve to prevent future victims from speaking out and seeking assistance and entrenches a culture of impunity for perpetrators,” Elkarib said.
- © AFP 2014 with additional reporting by Michelle Hennessy.
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Historically, it was always considered notable how common it was for Irish women to fight alongside men. This can likely be traced back to Brehon Law attitudes that tended to hold women in equal regard to men in Ireland since time immemorial. Then the Catholic Church entered the frame and 3,500 years of equality unravelled in a matter of months, but Irish attitudes often remained.
It took Ireland centuries to convert, and even so they were not Catholic.
Catholicism came with the Normans in 1169. In fact, it was a large part of their casus belli that the Irish were part of the “Celtic Church”, and needed to be brought under the fold.
What also remains is the blaming of the Catholic Church for everything….. probably from British rule and people’s slavish deference to their media.
Firstly, no Catholic Church, early Christian Church conversion.
Secondly, same in rest of the world.
Thirdly, people choose to treat women in a certain way. Men chose wrong here for decades.
Fourthly, Ireland is one of the best countries to be a woman in, according to the Oecd.
A lot of the women and men of the 1916-1921 period were ignored by our governments for years.
The only people who turned up at 1916 commomerations were overweight special branchers with handicams filming “republicans” while junkies were injecting themselves and harrassing people.
Way to go.
First comment turns the forum into a Catholic bashing exercise.
I’m actually with Oran on this one. It was the industrial revolution that fixed the ideas on women that we have. The Church only provided a mechanism, as it did everywhere, Catholic or not.
Liam knew once he bashed the Catholic Church, even though he was wrong, he was bound to get green thumbs…
@liam. What you say is true. De Valera even had our fighting women air-brushed from photographs. Hardly surprising – Sure didn’t he allow McQuaid to dictate our constitution & enslaved us into the Catholic Church to replace Britain.
Oran, I think it’s fair to say that the Catholic church did nothing to rectify the inequality for many centuries, and continues in that fine tradition today. So you can call it bashing if you like, but at best they’re collaborators with a bad culture, but we all know they helped to keep women in their supposed place.
@declan madsen – The Catholic Church kept everyone in their place. All children were intimidated by Catholicism from an early age & most up to 20yrs ago, in their adulthood as well.
We could do with a few of these determined women about the place today.
Great idea, but sorry to see their partners unrecognised when they served side by side. Kathleen Lynn and Madeleine Ffrench-Mullen and Elizabeth O’Farrell and Shelia (Julia) Grennan – “Eirebrushed” our play on 1916 lesbian and gay heroes is on in Players Theatre TCD May 2-7th 730pm http://www.gaytheatre.ie
Specifying some theatre as “gay” seems superfluous; wouldn’t “straight theatre” be more unusual and unique realistically?
Happily not just as Irish or American is equally valid. It’s our 13th season heading past 3500 performances and companies from 5 continents who see its relevance, importance and artistic identity. Pop along in May!
Here’s why you’ll see these women on buses all over Ireland
(but you won’t see them underneath them)
Trying too hard Oran. Show some respect
It’s not doing Anything for Anybody. What’s the Point. Surely we can invest money in things for people.
I’d recognise David Rooneys artwork anywhere. Stunning as always.
Pearce was a woman
Mná na hÉireann…like omg lol
See the pols where around in 1916 too
have your say