Suchita_Vadlamani's Blog

Sometimes, it's hard not to be deeply affected by some of the stories in our broadcast. This morning, we had one that really upset us. Here the gist:

A Saudi court sentenced a 19 year old woman...who had been GANG RAPED...to 6 months in jail and 200 LASHES!!!!
Her crime? Being in the car of a man who wasn't a relative!
Under Saudi Arabia's Islamic law, women are not allowed in public in the company of men other than their male relatives. She was initially sentenced to 90 lashes, but the court reportedly increased her punishment, citing an attempt to "aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media" Wait a minute...wasn't she the VICTIM? What about the men who viciously attacked her?? What was their punishment??

This type of "justice" is an ABSOLUTE outrage...and it happens more than we'd like to think. So many women around the world have no voice, no basic human rights. It makes me angry to think of the treatment they're subjected to...but it also makes me appreciate that we don't have to face those kinds of conditions here. Look, it may not be perfect, but it's a WHOLE lot better here than most everywhere else in the world!