Case Updates

Incest in Pakistan:

N was the victim of brutal incest by her father, and with the support of her mother and her mother’s family, insisted on pursuing her case, even as the police tried to discourage her from making a statement. Currently, N is reunited and living with her mother and all of her siblings and has just finished her 9th grade board exams.

The case is now in trial and a number of hearings have taken place. Unfortunately, the previous Superintendent Police (SP), who was sympathetic to N’s case, was reassigned, and a new SP was appointed. Luckily, before leaving, the SP declared the perpetrator guilty in his final police report, and N’s lawyer is working towards getting this report admitted as evidence into the trial.

N’s aunt and uncle from her father‘s side and her teacher have also changed their testimony, which has hampered the trial. N’s lawyer predicts that this will be a long and slow trial, and Equality Now plans to visit Pakistan to continue to assist in the case, including by monitoring court proceedings.

FGM in Kenya:

AGLDF was monitoring a case of a 10-year-old Maasai girl who bled to death after being subjected to FGM in Kenya. Her father and the circumciser were arrested but subsequently absconded. AGLDF and our local partner Tasaru Ntomonok Initiative (TNI) put pressure on the police to find the perpetrators, and they were finally arrested in February 2010. Both pled guilty to manslaughter, and on April 1, 2010 each was sentenced to ten years in prison. This case was important in demonstrating to the Maasai community that the Kenyan law enforcement system is serious about the implementation of the anti-FGM law. In addition, it helped raise awareness of the potentially deadly consequences of the practice.

During our intervention with the Kenyan police in this case, we realized that police officers responsible for implementing the anti-FGM law have limited knowledge of the law as well as of the harmful consequences of FGM. As a result, while the legal case has ended, Equality Now and its Kenyan partner TNI continue to follow up with the police in order to encourage them to hold training session on these matters.

Abduction and rape to force marriage in Ethiopia:

Since friendly negotiations with the Ethiopian government have failed to produce a reasonable settlement for Woineshet, Equality Now is requesting that the African Commission declare the case admissible.