Mukhtar Mai: Pakistani Women's Rights Update

Originally from my personal blog:

Nine years ago a Pakistani woman named Mukhtar Mai was gang raped by 14 men. This was a legally sanctioned punishment carried out because of a crime her 12-year old brother allegedly committed. When a woman is gang-raped it is seen as an act of dishonor and the woman is then expected to kill herself for creating such dishonor. Mukhtar Mai refused to kill herself, however, and she challenged the Pakistani government, initially bringing six of her attackers to justice. In the wake of her struggle for women's rights she created an organization that now safely harbors other women who have endured similar trauma, Mukhtar Mai Girls Model School, which later expanded to become Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization.

http://www.mukhtarmaimmwo.com/index.html

Recently, however, it was announced on DemocracyNow! that five of the six men convicted of raping Mukhtar were let go on grounds of insubstantial evidence. This means that five of the 14 men who were involved in gang-raping her will now be set free and allowed to do as they wish. Mukhtar Mai has expressed concern over their release, stating that she fears for her life now that they are free.

As I read this I wondered what we could do to help. First of all, I wrote to Mukhtar Mai's ogranization in order to express my support of her human rights and my desire for her to remain safe. In addition to this I am going to research any petitions in support of Mukhtar, or the legislation of Pakistan's tribal laws that lead to such acts as gang-rape. If you would like to show your support for Mukhtar Mai and the women of pakistan please blog, tweet, and inform others of her story. You may also want to read the book 'Half the Sky', which contains the stories of many women internationally who have been and are subjected to gender-based crimes. In addition to this you can visit the website of Mukhtar Mai's organization, read her memoir, and write to the organization to show your support.

Thank you to everyone who makes the decision to support women's rights. What you are really supporting are our collective human rights.