An Afghan woman was beheaded after resisting her mother-in-law’s attempt to sexually exploit her, underlining the increasing violence against women in the country.
AFP reports authorities have arrested four people allegedy involved in forcing Mah Gul into prostitution: the victim’s mother-in-law, father-in-law, her husband and the man who killed her. The 20-year old woman was married four months ago and her mother-in-law had tried to exploit her several times in the past, provincial police chief Abdul Ghafar Sayedzada said.
Mah Gul was killed by Najibullah who claimed that the mother-in-law lured him into it. “It was around 2:00 am when Gul’s husband left for his baker. I came down and with the help of her mother-in-law killed her with a knife,” he told a press conference with the police.
Violence against women is commonplace in Afghanistan and has increased dramatically. Around 100 cases of violence was recorded this year, with many more incidents thought to be unreported. “But at least in Gul’s case, we are glad the murderer has been arrested and brought to justice,” Abdul Qader Rahimi, the regional director of the government-backed human rights commission in western Afghanistan, told AFP.
