Remembering an Angel:
Nasima Akhter
by Kevin Caruso
Nasima Akhter was a beautiful, intelligent, and popular girl who lived in the village of Gazirbagh in Noakhali, Bangladesh.
On March 15, 2004, she was walking to a wedding when she was brutally beaten and raped.
Nasima immediately reported the rape to the police, but, unbelievably, the rapist was not arrested – He was told that he would only need to appear at a “village arbitration” hearing.
The arbitration was set for March 20th, but the rapist did not show up, and, unbelievably, the rapist was still not arrested; instead, the judge changed the date of the arbitration to accommodated the rapist.
Days later, when the arbitration finally began, the cowardly rapist loudly proclaimed his innocence throughout the proceedings. He also spoke harshly about Nasima.
Nasima was horrified and wanted to testify against him, but the judge would not allow it. So the only testimony heard was that of the rapist.
After a few hours of the arbitration, the cowardly rapist was found guilty.
His sentence: 20 lashes.
And after the judge gave the absurdly light sentence to the cowardly rapist, he scolded and humiliated Nasima – He said that although the man was found guilty, the rape was entirely her fault because she was walking by herself. He also said that she was an irresponsible person, a disgrace to the community, and that no one would want to marry her.
He then warned her to never walk by herself again, told her again that the rape was her fault, and told her to leave the courtroom immediately.
Nasima ran away crying as she shouted, "It was not my fault. It was not my fault."
She then ran to her home and killed herself with on overdose of poison.
She was 18.
She is now an angel.
We miss her.
We love her.
And we will never forget her.
What Nasima Akhter endured is, sadly, something that women throughout the world experience daily – a physical rape, and then an emotional rape by a "justice" system.
Nasima was not allowed to testify at the trial, even though she wanted to. And then she was blamed for the rape.
And the rapist was sentenced to almost nothing – essentially getting off without punishment.
It is no surprise that the vast majority of women who are raped do not report the crime.
Woman after woman throughout the world have been blamed for the brutal criminal act of rape, and have been mistreated by the justice system.
And the sickening defense strategy of "it was her fault" has been around since the first rape trial.
And what is particularly sickening about Nasima's trial is that the judge was the idiot who blamed her.
Unbelievable.
A "justice" system?
Hardly.
For too many rape victims, it is an injustice system.
Rape is a very serious crime that always causes the victim tremendous emotional pain.
Rape victims frequently suffer from depression.
And depression is the number one cause for suicide.
If you have been raped, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline
1-800-656-HOPE
It does not matter whether the rape happened recently or long ago, please call. People
want to help you.
And remember that all rapists are cowards, criminals, and losers who belong in prison.
There never is an excuse for rape, and it is always a very serious crime.
Always call the police immediately if you ever are raped.
For additional informaion, please click below.
Rape Victims Prone to Suicide
God bless you.
I love you,
Kevin Caruso
Suicide.org
Founder, Director, Editor-in-Chief
