CASE SPOTLIGHT
Martyred Meena: RAWA’S Founding Leader, Afghanistan
Meena was the founding leader of RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan), an organization that captured people's attention with their highly publicized criticism of the Taliban's mistreatment of Afghan women. Meena also founded a bilingual magazine (Payam-e Zan), which publishes articles on different political and social matters affecting Afghan women. RAWA claims that she was killed on February 4,1987 by KHAD agents working with Hekmatyar's group, Hezb- e Islami. (Afghanistan Online)
Woman Leader Attacked by Gang, Bangladesh
On 30th March 2007 Ms. Zebunnesa Begum; a women member for reserved seat of Enat Gonj Union Parishad under Nabi Gonj Upazilla came under attack by a gang of miscreants in mask. Miscreants tried to kill her by strangling. In the mean time, having heard her shouting the people of the locality rushed to the spot and rescued her. Miscreants ran away. As per newspaper report, Ms. Jebunnesa on that day morning went outside her home to wash herself for her dawn prayer and was attacked by the miscreants in mask. The reasons beyond the attack were unknown. No follow up report published later. (Jugantar)
Woman Councilor Murdered, India
MARTYR Leelavathy – is a name etched in the memory of the people of Madurai. Few years back, on March 24, 1997 Comrade Leelavathy was brutally murdered in the streets in broad daylight. She was then a councillor of the 59th ward of the Madurai corporation and a member of the Madurai urban district committee of the party. In her ward, anti-social elements were engaged in the sale of illicit arrack and collection of ‘mamul’. They were controlling even the supply of drinking water. Common people were forced to pay a price for getting their drinking water regularly to these elements. It is at this juncture; Leelavathy was elected as councillor of this ward. She courageously tried to put an end to these atrocities. Unable to tolerate her fight for the people, the hooligans dragged her by hair and hacked her to death. (People’s Democracy)
Woman Facing Violence, Nepal
Saru Tamang was slapped, verbally abused and threatened by male members of her village in Kavre District when she went to mediate in domestic violence cases. The village has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in the country, say local rights activists.” But nothing discouraged me. I have been trained to endure abuse until I achieve my goal,” said Tamang. (IRIN)
A Woman Gang Raped, Pakistan
Mukhtaran Bibi is a Pakistani woman from the village of Meerwala, in the rural tehsil (county) of Jatoi of the Muzaffargarh District of Pakistan. Mukhtar Mai suffered a gang rape as a form of honour revenge, on the demands of tribesmen — or by some accounts, on the orders of a panchayat (tribal council) — of a local Mastoi Baloch clan that was richer and more powerful than Mukhtaran's clan, the Gujjar Tatla. By custom, rural women are expected to commit suicide after such an event. Instead, she spoke up, and using word of mouth, took her case to court where her rapists were arrested and charged. She took settlement money provided to her by the government following the court case, and opened a center for refuge and education, the Mukhtar Mai Women's Welfare Organization.
(Pakistani Women and Wikipedia)
Mayor of Jaffna killed, Sri Lanka
Sarojini Yogeswaran was a Sri Lankan politician. Yogeswaran was a member of the Tamil United Liberation Front. In 1997, she was elected mayor of Jaffna, the first elected mayor in 14 years. Mrs. Yogeswaran was shot five times with a pistol near her Jaffna home on May 17, 1998. She died on the way to hospital. A group calling itself the Sankiliyan Force claimed responsibility. It is believed the LTTE was ultimately responsible. They had assassinated her husband, V. Yogeswaran, in 1987. (Tamil Nation)
