Op-Ed Entry Five

Op-Ed Entry Five

Sarah Reichenbach

July 26, 2009

AP Language

Not a Victim, but a Hero

By: Nicholas D. Kristof

Published: July 25, 2006

Assiya Rafiq was only sixteen when she was kidnapped by a group of thugs who for endless years raped and beat her. Then one day they delivered her to the police. She finally thought that all of her suffering was over; but the four police officers that took in Assiya then took turns raping and beating her. In Assiya’s culture the next thing to do would then be to commit suicide “as [it’s] the only way to cleanse the disgrace for her entire family.” Alternatively, Assyia conjured up the courage to fight the abuse; she is currently trying to persecute both her kidnappers and the police even though she’s received threats against herself and her younger sisters. She’s doing this because she “...[doesn’t] want the same thing to happen to anybody else." Assiya isn’t the first person to have such courage. “In 2002 Mukhtar Mai, a young woman from a remote village in Meerwala was ganged raped on the orders of the village officals; she persecuted her attackers and used the compensation money to start a school.” Mukhtar is Assyai’s inspiration.

Assiya’s story started two years ago when a friend of the family sold her to two criminals who have family ties to prominent politicians. Those two men then spent the next two years raping and beating her. The men were linked to a gold robbery, so they struck up a deal with the police; for Assiya and a $625 bribe the police were going to pin the robbery on Assiya. While Assiya was there three police officers and the police chief beat and raped her over the course of the next two weeks. When Assiya’s family heard she was in jail they petitioned the bailiff to get her out, but the police hid Assiya and locked up her ten year old brother which they hoped would bully the family into backing off. The bailiff took bribes from both sides but in the end he let Assiya free. Furious more then shamed Assiya told her story to the Magistrate, who ordered a medical exam and an investigation. Her family is currently $2,500 in debt and has gone into hiding. Her family and life will never be the same but she’s standing up for herself. Assiya’s mother, Iqbal Mai said, “ At first [ I ] had prayed that God not give poor families daughters, but then [ I ] changed [my] mind, God should give poor people daughters like Assiya who will fight.”

To give Mr. Kristof his credit he wrote a fair article on a sincerely stunning act of heroism. Though if I remember correctly if we’ve written a blog post on a columnist previously we’re allowed to comment on the actual article; well I’d like to take that opportunity. For whatever reason this article has inspired so much love in my heart for Assiya Rafiq and her family. Probably because I feel like too many acts of violence much like this are committed not just all over the world but here in America as well. Though instead of standing up for themselves and taking a stand for the respect they deserve girls and woman a like just suffer with the pain or kill themselves. I can’t even begin to imagine how horrific an experience like that must be, but despite the threats on herself and family Assyia has found the courage to stand up and fight. She shows a kind of courage I don’t think I’ve heard of in a very long time. With the princess complex that many girls of my age have (the idea that they need to be saved buy a dashing prince on a great white stallion) it’s refreshing to see something so magnificent. I simply couldn’t read this article and then write about how the style and tone of Mr. Nicholas D. Kristof was simply smashing because it’s not the writing of the article that makes this story so awe-inspiring it’s Assyia Rafiq and her courage that does that all on it’s own.