An AP story reported today that a woman in Afghanistan who was raped and abused was arrested and given a four year sentence for adultery and escaping her house.  The young woman said she was kidnapped by a neighbor and delivered to an Afghan man along with her 3-year old son.  The man raped her for three months.  Afraid of losing her son, she attempted to run away.  When she was found and brought home, the man beat her and her son.  She reported it to the authorities, they came and arrested him (who is serving 20 years for the murder of the 3-year old boy he beat) and her.  Given the four year sentence on December 5 and now in jail, she asks "Why am I here?"  The chief prosecutor on the case, Abdul Qayum, said “She committed adultery.  It was rape, but the woman is also guilty.” 

After suggesting that she got a light sentence, Qayum said, "This is Afghanistan, not America.”  While his comment suggests the difficulty of applying human rights standards, especially women’s rights, cross-culturally, this is a huge setback to the past improvements for Afghan women.  Although the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission documented an increase in the number of women complaining of violence, this case threatens that improvement and could set a precedent for women to keep quiet despite horrific conditions and abuse.