This is an all too familiar story. Control freak (and abusive) father won't let the mother retain custody after she leaves him. But of course he doesn't really want the kids. He just want to punish her.
So it's not uncommon for these fathers to abandon and/or kill these kids, just as dad EHTISHAM ALI did. Retaining possession or destroying the kids accomplishes the same aim as far as they are concerned.
Fortunately, the older son survived, though he was found unconscious. The 8-month-old daughter was not as lucky.
And of course those in authority did nothing to stop this...
http://tribune.com.pk/story/922836/baby-abandoned-by-father-dies/
Baby ‘abandoned by father’ dies
By Our Correspondent
Published: July 18, 2015
LAHORE:
An eight-month-old girl child died on Thursday a few hours after she was found lying unconscious in front of the house of her mother’s parents, according to an FIR registered with Mustafabad police on the complaint of Muhammad Awais, an uncle of her mother Rabia Ishaq.
Talking to The Express Tribune, complainant Awais alleged that the father of the child, Ehtisham Ali, must have abandoned her there. He said the suspect had written the name of child and Tariq’s parents’ home address on the child’s shoulder.
He said the child was taken to a private clinic near the house but she couldn’t survive.
Earlier in April, Awais said an elder son of the couple had been found lying unconscious in front of the house. He said the boy had survived. He said the incident had taken place a few days after Ishaq’s decision to leave Ali and move to her parents’ house. He said Ali had not let her take along her two children.
Awais said that after the incident in April the family had communicated their concerns about the other child’s safety to the police. But, he said no action had been taken by the police.
Investigation Officer Amir Ali said the suspect had fled his house when a police team raided the place in April. He said they raided the place later as well but did not find him.
Ali said in order to determine the cause of her death the body of the child had been sent for an autopsy.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 18th, 2015.
Showing posts with label Pakistan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pakistan. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Family court order two little girls into custody of "emotionally abusive" father with history of domestic violence (United Kingdom)
And STILL the fathers rights groups whine about how discriminated against they are. The Big Lie simply covers up the sordid reality: that men like UNNAMED DAD, dads with histories of domestic violence and depriving the mother of the kids, get custody all the time.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/585749/Violent-abusive-father-custody-young-daughters-outrageous-court-ruling-cancer-death
Violent and abusive father given custody of young daughters in outrageous court ruling
TWO young children who lost their mother to cancer must now stay with their "emotionally abusive" father, Britain's top family judge has ruled.
By Oli Smith
PUBLISHED: 21:20, Fri, Jun 19, 2015
The family court ruling has ordered the kids to return to their father
The girls, aged just three and four, had been offered a new life in America by their maternal great aunt and uncle.
But, a leading family court judge has ordered the kids to live with their father in Britain despite serious concerns over his parenting.
The kids' mother tragically died from cancer in 2013 amidst an ongoing family court battle.
The mother had been hoping to take custody of both children after suffering domestic violence at the father's hands.
The custody battle then spilled over into an international tug of war after the mother's passing.
The children's great aunt and uncle from Illinois stepped in to give the kids a home away from their father.
An earlier judge ruled the father 'emotionally abused' both the mother and children after taking the youngsters to Pakistan without permission.
The father even tried to use a 'false will' and a 'bogus confession', which he claimed the mother had signed, to keep custody.
And, following the mother's death, he "laid the ground for attempting" to obtain a life insurance payout, the court heard.
However, Sir James Munby, president of the Family Division, blocked the great aunt and uncle's bid to adopt the children.
He insisted: "The case for adoption is simply not made out. "I am very conscious that the consequences of this, in a sense, is that the father wins by default.
"The children go to him because the only alternative is ruled out because adoption is ruled out.
"But it is fundamentally important children are not to be adopted merely because their parenting is less than perfect, indeed, perhaps only barely adequate".
Despite the 'serious findings' against the father, an independent social worker claimed he had "a positive relationship" with the girls.
He also praised the "generally high quality" time he spent with his children.
The children are currently with their great aunt and uncle in America on holiday but have been ordered to return to their father by August.
Since their mother's young death, the children have spent three extended holidays with family in America.
The judge also ruled that the two young girls will continue to be monitored by the courts.
Names involved in the case remain anonymous under regulations governing family court actions involving children.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/585749/Violent-abusive-father-custody-young-daughters-outrageous-court-ruling-cancer-death
Violent and abusive father given custody of young daughters in outrageous court ruling
TWO young children who lost their mother to cancer must now stay with their "emotionally abusive" father, Britain's top family judge has ruled.
By Oli Smith
PUBLISHED: 21:20, Fri, Jun 19, 2015
The family court ruling has ordered the kids to return to their father
The girls, aged just three and four, had been offered a new life in America by their maternal great aunt and uncle.
But, a leading family court judge has ordered the kids to live with their father in Britain despite serious concerns over his parenting.
The kids' mother tragically died from cancer in 2013 amidst an ongoing family court battle.
The mother had been hoping to take custody of both children after suffering domestic violence at the father's hands.
The custody battle then spilled over into an international tug of war after the mother's passing.
The children's great aunt and uncle from Illinois stepped in to give the kids a home away from their father.
An earlier judge ruled the father 'emotionally abused' both the mother and children after taking the youngsters to Pakistan without permission.
The father even tried to use a 'false will' and a 'bogus confession', which he claimed the mother had signed, to keep custody.
And, following the mother's death, he "laid the ground for attempting" to obtain a life insurance payout, the court heard.
However, Sir James Munby, president of the Family Division, blocked the great aunt and uncle's bid to adopt the children.
He insisted: "The case for adoption is simply not made out. "I am very conscious that the consequences of this, in a sense, is that the father wins by default.
"The children go to him because the only alternative is ruled out because adoption is ruled out.
"But it is fundamentally important children are not to be adopted merely because their parenting is less than perfect, indeed, perhaps only barely adequate".
Despite the 'serious findings' against the father, an independent social worker claimed he had "a positive relationship" with the girls.
He also praised the "generally high quality" time he spent with his children.
The children are currently with their great aunt and uncle in America on holiday but have been ordered to return to their father by August.
Since their mother's young death, the children have spent three extended holidays with family in America.
The judge also ruled that the two young girls will continue to be monitored by the courts.
Names involved in the case remain anonymous under regulations governing family court actions involving children.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Dad smashes and kills 5-month-old daughter (Islamabad, Pakistan)
UNNAMED DAD
http://www.nation.com.pk/islamabad/06-Aug-2014/father-smashes-baby-girl-to-death?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/24hours-news%20(The%20Nation%20:%20Latest%20News)
Father smashes baby girl to death
August 06, 2014
The Nation Monitoring
ISLAMABAD - A 5-month-old girl was allegedly smashed to death by her father in the middle of heated parental quarrel here, reported a private TV channel on Tuesday.
“On the face of it the infant succumbed to a seething tiff between two spouses,” sources told media. The tragic news left everyone aghast in the locality. “The commotion the brawling couple kicked up unsettled the whole neighbourhood while their baby daughter lay on the bed watching her parents tear each other apart in muted horror,” sources quoted a neighbour as saying.
According to police, the husband lost his nerve and allegedly killed the infant by crashing her to the concrete floor. "The child died of severe head injuries after being smashed against a hard surface," a police official said.
On the other hand, the accused, speaking from behind the bars of the lockup, protested his innocence. “I swear I did not dump her on the floor, she just fell down accidentally. I can’t be sorrier. Please forgive me.” a remorseful father of the deceased baby pleaded.
Further investigation is underway.
http://www.nation.com.pk/islamabad/06-Aug-2014/father-smashes-baby-girl-to-death?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:%20pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/24hours-news%20(The%20Nation%20:%20Latest%20News)
Father smashes baby girl to death
August 06, 2014
The Nation Monitoring
ISLAMABAD - A 5-month-old girl was allegedly smashed to death by her father in the middle of heated parental quarrel here, reported a private TV channel on Tuesday.
“On the face of it the infant succumbed to a seething tiff between two spouses,” sources told media. The tragic news left everyone aghast in the locality. “The commotion the brawling couple kicked up unsettled the whole neighbourhood while their baby daughter lay on the bed watching her parents tear each other apart in muted horror,” sources quoted a neighbour as saying.
According to police, the husband lost his nerve and allegedly killed the infant by crashing her to the concrete floor. "The child died of severe head injuries after being smashed against a hard surface," a police official said.
On the other hand, the accused, speaking from behind the bars of the lockup, protested his innocence. “I swear I did not dump her on the floor, she just fell down accidentally. I can’t be sorrier. Please forgive me.” a remorseful father of the deceased baby pleaded.
Further investigation is underway.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Two children freed from violent custodial dad, step (Taxila, Pakistan)
This is what happens when fathers rights are institutionalized, and the rights of mothers and children are non-existent.
Dad is identified as SAEED AHMED.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1099778/children-freed-from-violent-father
Children freed from violent father
Amjad Iqbal
Published at2014-04-14 07:42:05
TAXILA: Two minor children were rescued from the ‘torture cell’ of their father and stepmother here on Sunday.
Zahid Tanveer along with some other residents of Chachi Mohallah informed the Wah Cantonment police that his neighbour Saeed Ahmed had chained his two children and locked them in a room without providing them food for many days.
A police team reached the house and after breaking the locks of the room recovered the children and shifted them to the police station. The police said marks of severe torture were found on the bodies of the children. The torture victims were identified as Muneeba, 8, and Haris, 6.
The children could not stand on their feet due to the starvation and torture. Sources said a few months back the father of the children had contracted second marriage after divorcing the mother of the two children. After the marriage, the couple subjected the children to torture and locked them in the room.
The police have taken the father of the children into custody but their stepmother is yet to be arrested.
Later, the children were shifted to the child protection centre in Rawalpindi.
Dad is identified as SAEED AHMED.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1099778/children-freed-from-violent-father
Children freed from violent father
Amjad Iqbal
Published at2014-04-14 07:42:05
TAXILA: Two minor children were rescued from the ‘torture cell’ of their father and stepmother here on Sunday.
Zahid Tanveer along with some other residents of Chachi Mohallah informed the Wah Cantonment police that his neighbour Saeed Ahmed had chained his two children and locked them in a room without providing them food for many days.
A police team reached the house and after breaking the locks of the room recovered the children and shifted them to the police station. The police said marks of severe torture were found on the bodies of the children. The torture victims were identified as Muneeba, 8, and Haris, 6.
The children could not stand on their feet due to the starvation and torture. Sources said a few months back the father of the children had contracted second marriage after divorcing the mother of the two children. After the marriage, the couple subjected the children to torture and locked them in the room.
The police have taken the father of the children into custody but their stepmother is yet to be arrested.
Later, the children were shifted to the child protection centre in Rawalpindi.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Ten-year-old son dies from beating by custodial father (Multan, Pakistan)
This is what happens in a culture where fathers rights are institutionalized, and mothers have none. Even fathers with criminal records get complete control of the kids. Not one word here on what happened to this poor boy's mother. Typical in that the mother is erased...but this happens in stories about abusive/violent custodial fathers all the time.
Dad is identified as NASIR.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/520971/brutal-end-child-dies-from-fathers-beating/
Brutal end: Child dies from father’s beating
By Our Correspondent
Published: March 15, 2013
MULTAN: A ten year-old died on Wednesday from a beating by his father annoyed by his asking his stepmother for food.
Bharwaan Mai, Dilawar’s stepmother, told The Express Tribune that her husband, Nasir, wanted to be served dinner first. She said Dilawar began crying at this.
Nasir then began to beat him with a wooden rod until the boy fainted.
She said that Nasir then tried to revive the child and failing in the effort took the body to his father’s house in Sameej Abad colony before he fled. The deceased’s brother, Rawal, told his grandfather, Muhammad Ramazan what had happened. Ramazan then informed the police.
An FIR has been registered at the New Multan police station. Police said Nasir had a criminal record.
Post-mortem report revealed 40 fractured bones and more than 160 bruises.
Dad is identified as NASIR.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/520971/brutal-end-child-dies-from-fathers-beating/
Brutal end: Child dies from father’s beating
By Our Correspondent
Published: March 15, 2013
MULTAN: A ten year-old died on Wednesday from a beating by his father annoyed by his asking his stepmother for food.
Bharwaan Mai, Dilawar’s stepmother, told The Express Tribune that her husband, Nasir, wanted to be served dinner first. She said Dilawar began crying at this.
Nasir then began to beat him with a wooden rod until the boy fainted.
She said that Nasir then tried to revive the child and failing in the effort took the body to his father’s house in Sameej Abad colony before he fled. The deceased’s brother, Rawal, told his grandfather, Muhammad Ramazan what had happened. Ramazan then informed the police.
An FIR has been registered at the New Multan police station. Police said Nasir had a criminal record.
Post-mortem report revealed 40 fractured bones and more than 160 bruises.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Dad kills mom, two kids after she filed for divorce (Khanewal, Pakistan)
Actually, this doesn't seem like your typical "honor" killing. It sounds like the same old punish-the-mom-and-kids-for-leaving-your-sorry-arse kind of killing. Not that it's always that easy to tell the difference, since it's all about entitled, abusive males. Some of which who use Religion to justify their criminality.
The killer dad is identified as JAWED SAHU.
http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=78059
Man kills wife, two children for honor
December 03, 2012 - Updated 1425 PKT
KHANEWAL: A man killed wife and two children on suspicion of the wife’s character, Geo News reported Monday.
Rukhsana, 45, wife of accused Jawed Sahu was living with her children separately and had already filed for a divorce in local court. The accused kidnapped her and shot her dead. When the children intervened, he went ahead and killed them too.
Police arrested Jawed and transferred the dead bodies to hospital for legal formalities.
The killer dad is identified as JAWED SAHU.
http://www.geo.tv/GeoDetail.aspx?ID=78059
Man kills wife, two children for honor
December 03, 2012 - Updated 1425 PKT
KHANEWAL: A man killed wife and two children on suspicion of the wife’s character, Geo News reported Monday.
Rukhsana, 45, wife of accused Jawed Sahu was living with her children separately and had already filed for a divorce in local court. The accused kidnapped her and shot her dead. When the children intervened, he went ahead and killed them too.
Police arrested Jawed and transferred the dead bodies to hospital for legal formalities.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Mom fears that Dad sold daughter to Pakistani child trafficking racket (Manchester, England)
This is why daddies with a history of abuse and control should NOT have access to the kids. Especially when they have sworn "revenge" against the mother for leaving their sorry @$$ like this piece of sh**. Mom and court personnel need to be educated about this, and NOT assume there is no risk involved. There is a LOT of risk. These dudes know that the best way to hurt Mom is to hurt her kids. Let's face reality.
Father RAZWAN ALI ANJUM abducted his then 3-year-old daughter three years ago, took her to Pakistan, and then...well, it gets fuzzy after that. Mom fears he may have sold her into a child trafficking racket. Daddy refuses to say what he did with her. He obviously never gave a f*** about this child, and merely regarded her as a tool to get back at her mother.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2228518/Atiya-Wilkinson-kidnap-Mother-fears-daughter-sold-black-market-child-trafficking-racket.html
Mother fears daughter kidnapped by her vengeful ex-boyfriend three years ago may have been sold in Pakistani child trafficking racket Atiya Wilkinson was snatched by 'cruel' father three years ago
Gemma Wilkinson has no clue where her daughter is
Jailed father refuses to tell police where she is
Officers launch fresh appeal for information
By Sam Webb
PUBLISHED: 02:04 EST, 6 November 2012 | UPDATED: 09:45 EST, 6 November 2012
The distraught mother of a missing girl kidnapped three years ago wept yesterday as she told of fears she may have been sold on the black market in a child trafficking racket.
Former charity worker Gemma Wilkinson, 32, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, has not seen little Atiya Wilkinson since her third birthday in 2009 when she was snatched by her father in a spiteful act of revenge during a planned day trip to the seaside.
Former insurance salesman Razwan Ali Anjum, 28, who was livid at being spurned by Gemma, jetted off to his native Pakistan with Atiya before contacting her mother saying: 'You’ll never see your daughter again.'
Despite a global inquiry spanning three countries, the youngster has not been heard of since and now it is feared she may have been sold by her father to another family living in Pakistan or Iran.
Anjum returned to the UK less than a fortnight after he flew out and is now serving a fourth consecutive jail term for contempt after defiantly refusing to reveal Atiya’s whereabouts - dismissing Gemma as 'only a birth mother'.
Today on what would be Atiya’s six birthday Miss Wilkinson sobbed as she pleaded for information about what happened to her daughter.
'I pray she’s okay but we don’t have any proof that she’s okay and no proof she is even still alive,' she said. 'It’s been discussed that she could have been sold, but I don’t want to believe it.
'As far as I’m aware she hasn’t been with any family member so I can only assume she’s with strangers.
'To know that she’s safe, to know that she’s being looked after, to know where she is. A child doesn’t disappear, doesn’t evaporate. A child is put somewhere and people know - and that information needs to be talked about.'
Gemma met Anjum in 2003 while they were on the same college course at Oldham Business Management School and Atiya was born on November 7, 2006.
But Gemma ended her on/off relationship with Anjum in 2008 due to him being possessive and controlling and he swore revenge on her.
During an access visit on the youngster’s birthday he said he was taking Atiya to Southport but instead, he took her to Lahore where he claimed she was staying for a week with relatives.
Atiya was supposed to share a flight with her grandmother on November 16, but the grandmother came back alone. Anjum himself returned to the UK on November 20 without his daughter and he was subsequently arrested.
He claimed he handed Atiya to a mystery man called Khan and taken to Iran but an address for the shady Mr Fixit proved to be false.
Gemma said: 'It’s been an absolute nightmare. When I close my eyes I see Atiya. I say good night to her every night before bed.
'I just want Atiya back home but her father’s just not prepared to back down - he’s not prepared to work with the police. He’s enjoying playing his controlling mind games.
'It’s just sick.'
She added: 'We haven’t celebrated her birthday since she went missing but I’ve bought her presents each year - they are waiting for her to open when she comes home.
'On the day she went missing she was due to spend some time with Razwan. She was picked up by her uncle and taken to go see him. She was due to come back the next day and spend some time with her family opening presents.
'I had no reason to believe that she was at any risk. There had been a standard routine, there hadn’t been any problems with the arrangements. I really don’t know where she is.
'It looks as though she’s still in Pakistan. Razwan is refusing to say where she is, who she’s with and he won’t say anything other than she’s in Iran yet originally she was in Pakistan.
'He won’t give the actual location of where she is. He’s doing this because he has control over me. He had sent abusive text messages after our relationship ended and the last control he would have had over me was to hurt me through Aitya - he knows she’s everything to me.
'I think he would be boasting about what he’s doing in prison, to make himself feel good about the control he has over us. I would do anything to get her back. I just want to know where she is, how she is,' she added.
'We’ve been trying to arrange meetings with his family but they don’t want to communicate with me.
'The police have tried to ask them for information, but they aren’t willing to cooperate. I don’t know any of his family over in Pakistan.
'I think someone in the community around the family knows something. I’m hoping the information that is known could be given so we know Aitya is safe, we know she is alive and that she’s at least settled.
'It shouldn’t be a game of control. I will be thinking about her on Tuesday, thinking about what she’s doing and who she’s with. She has a loving, doting family waiting for her. He shouldn’t be able to play games with children’s lives. We just want her home.' Police have launched a fresh appeal for information about Atiya's whereabouts.
Ajum, who has a son from a previous relationship, has been the subject of several civil court actions ordering him to disclose where Atiya is but he supplied false information.
He was initially jailed in June 2010 for a maximum two years at the Family Division of the High Court but has subsequently been given three more jail terms the latest imposed in March this year.
One judge said it was the most 'cynical and cruel' form of abduction he had dealt with in his 30 year career.
Det Con Emma Constantine of Greater Manchester Police said: 'As far as we know, Razwan has had no contact with Aitya himself.
'He’s never received any letters or photographs of Aitya. So there’s no way that he knows how she is.
'We’ve been to see him a few times. He maintains the facade she’s in Iran, but there’s no evidence to support that so we’re very sceptical.
'It’s only him that holds the information.'
Supt Phil Owen said: 'We’re working with a range of international agencies in order to find out who may be harbouring her but it presents its challenges and problems and hopefully this is now the time to tug at heart strings and generate information from the public.
'We haven’t got any evidence to know she’s even alive. This is the only way he can exert control.
'He’s manipulative, he puts himself first. He will convince himself that she’s looked after and cared for but he doesn’t know that.'
Father RAZWAN ALI ANJUM abducted his then 3-year-old daughter three years ago, took her to Pakistan, and then...well, it gets fuzzy after that. Mom fears he may have sold her into a child trafficking racket. Daddy refuses to say what he did with her. He obviously never gave a f*** about this child, and merely regarded her as a tool to get back at her mother.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2228518/Atiya-Wilkinson-kidnap-Mother-fears-daughter-sold-black-market-child-trafficking-racket.html
Mother fears daughter kidnapped by her vengeful ex-boyfriend three years ago may have been sold in Pakistani child trafficking racket Atiya Wilkinson was snatched by 'cruel' father three years ago
Gemma Wilkinson has no clue where her daughter is
Jailed father refuses to tell police where she is
Officers launch fresh appeal for information
By Sam Webb
PUBLISHED: 02:04 EST, 6 November 2012 | UPDATED: 09:45 EST, 6 November 2012
The distraught mother of a missing girl kidnapped three years ago wept yesterday as she told of fears she may have been sold on the black market in a child trafficking racket.
Former charity worker Gemma Wilkinson, 32, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, has not seen little Atiya Wilkinson since her third birthday in 2009 when she was snatched by her father in a spiteful act of revenge during a planned day trip to the seaside.
Former insurance salesman Razwan Ali Anjum, 28, who was livid at being spurned by Gemma, jetted off to his native Pakistan with Atiya before contacting her mother saying: 'You’ll never see your daughter again.'
Despite a global inquiry spanning three countries, the youngster has not been heard of since and now it is feared she may have been sold by her father to another family living in Pakistan or Iran.
Anjum returned to the UK less than a fortnight after he flew out and is now serving a fourth consecutive jail term for contempt after defiantly refusing to reveal Atiya’s whereabouts - dismissing Gemma as 'only a birth mother'.
Today on what would be Atiya’s six birthday Miss Wilkinson sobbed as she pleaded for information about what happened to her daughter.
'I pray she’s okay but we don’t have any proof that she’s okay and no proof she is even still alive,' she said. 'It’s been discussed that she could have been sold, but I don’t want to believe it.
'As far as I’m aware she hasn’t been with any family member so I can only assume she’s with strangers.
'To know that she’s safe, to know that she’s being looked after, to know where she is. A child doesn’t disappear, doesn’t evaporate. A child is put somewhere and people know - and that information needs to be talked about.'
Gemma met Anjum in 2003 while they were on the same college course at Oldham Business Management School and Atiya was born on November 7, 2006.
But Gemma ended her on/off relationship with Anjum in 2008 due to him being possessive and controlling and he swore revenge on her.
During an access visit on the youngster’s birthday he said he was taking Atiya to Southport but instead, he took her to Lahore where he claimed she was staying for a week with relatives.
Atiya was supposed to share a flight with her grandmother on November 16, but the grandmother came back alone. Anjum himself returned to the UK on November 20 without his daughter and he was subsequently arrested.
He claimed he handed Atiya to a mystery man called Khan and taken to Iran but an address for the shady Mr Fixit proved to be false.
Gemma said: 'It’s been an absolute nightmare. When I close my eyes I see Atiya. I say good night to her every night before bed.
'I just want Atiya back home but her father’s just not prepared to back down - he’s not prepared to work with the police. He’s enjoying playing his controlling mind games.
'It’s just sick.'
She added: 'We haven’t celebrated her birthday since she went missing but I’ve bought her presents each year - they are waiting for her to open when she comes home.
'On the day she went missing she was due to spend some time with Razwan. She was picked up by her uncle and taken to go see him. She was due to come back the next day and spend some time with her family opening presents.
'I had no reason to believe that she was at any risk. There had been a standard routine, there hadn’t been any problems with the arrangements. I really don’t know where she is.
'It looks as though she’s still in Pakistan. Razwan is refusing to say where she is, who she’s with and he won’t say anything other than she’s in Iran yet originally she was in Pakistan.
'He won’t give the actual location of where she is. He’s doing this because he has control over me. He had sent abusive text messages after our relationship ended and the last control he would have had over me was to hurt me through Aitya - he knows she’s everything to me.
'I think he would be boasting about what he’s doing in prison, to make himself feel good about the control he has over us. I would do anything to get her back. I just want to know where she is, how she is,' she added.
'We’ve been trying to arrange meetings with his family but they don’t want to communicate with me.
'The police have tried to ask them for information, but they aren’t willing to cooperate. I don’t know any of his family over in Pakistan.
'I think someone in the community around the family knows something. I’m hoping the information that is known could be given so we know Aitya is safe, we know she is alive and that she’s at least settled.
'It shouldn’t be a game of control. I will be thinking about her on Tuesday, thinking about what she’s doing and who she’s with. She has a loving, doting family waiting for her. He shouldn’t be able to play games with children’s lives. We just want her home.' Police have launched a fresh appeal for information about Atiya's whereabouts.
Ajum, who has a son from a previous relationship, has been the subject of several civil court actions ordering him to disclose where Atiya is but he supplied false information.
He was initially jailed in June 2010 for a maximum two years at the Family Division of the High Court but has subsequently been given three more jail terms the latest imposed in March this year.
One judge said it was the most 'cynical and cruel' form of abduction he had dealt with in his 30 year career.
Det Con Emma Constantine of Greater Manchester Police said: 'As far as we know, Razwan has had no contact with Aitya himself.
'He’s never received any letters or photographs of Aitya. So there’s no way that he knows how she is.
'We’ve been to see him a few times. He maintains the facade she’s in Iran, but there’s no evidence to support that so we’re very sceptical.
'It’s only him that holds the information.'
Supt Phil Owen said: 'We’re working with a range of international agencies in order to find out who may be harbouring her but it presents its challenges and problems and hopefully this is now the time to tug at heart strings and generate information from the public.
'We haven’t got any evidence to know she’s even alive. This is the only way he can exert control.
'He’s manipulative, he puts himself first. He will convince himself that she’s looked after and cared for but he doesn’t know that.'
Monday, November 7, 2011
Dad abducted daughter on 3rd birthday; now dad in jail and two years later, girl still "missing" (Lancashire, England, UK)
Notice that dad RAZWAN ALI ANJUM was never married to his daughter's mother, and that their relationship was "off-on" at best. But that didn't mimimize his sense of male entitlement/control at all. He still figured that the mom was "only" a birth mom (breeding stock), so it was okay to abduct the child and never allow mom to see her again. Why? Daddy doesn't even bother to allege that Mom was abusive. He just wanted to abuse and control the mother. The idea of actually having a relationship with the girl or raising her himself didn't even figure into the equation. The little girl "may" be with Daddy's former girlfriend in Iran "who also cares for his son from a previous relationship" (?). Or maybe she's in Pakistan....
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2058479/Atiya-Anjun-Wilkinson-missing-Father-jail-refusing-reveal-whereabouts.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Where IS Atiya? Mystery of missing girl, five, snatched by father who is now in jail for refusing to reveal her whereabouts
Five-year-old went missing on her third birthday during trip to Southport, Lancashire
High Court judges today lift publicity ban allowing the case to be reported
By Nadia Gilani
Last updated at 3:06 PM on 7th November 2011
A father who abducted his five-year-old daughter has been jailed after refusing to reveal her whereabouts.
Atiya Anjun-Wilkinson who turns five today went missing during a trip to the seaside two years ago on her third birthday, High Court judges have heard during private hearings in London.
She was at first thought to be in Pakistan but relatives fear she could now be in Iran.
The girl's mother, Gemma Wilkinson, 32, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester has not seen her daughter since.
Atiya's father - former insurance salesman Razwan Ali Anjum, 27, is in prison for contempt of court several times.
He has repeatedly refused to comply with a court order and reveal Atiya's whereabouts, judges have heard.
Lawyers representing Ms Wilkinson are today appealing for help in finding a four-year-old girl abducted by her father after a senior judge lifted a publicity ban that had prevented the case from being reported previously.
One judge described the case as 'as bad a case of child abduction as I have encountered'.
Details of the case emerged in August at a public Court of Appeal hearing in London - where Anjum, also of Ashton-under-Lyne, failed to persuade three appeal judges to rule that he had been unfairly jailed for contempt.
Anjum argued that repeated prison sentences for contempt of court were unfair and served no purpose.
However Lord Justice McFarlane, Lord Justice Hughes and Lord Justice Tomlinson, disagreed and dismissed Anjum's appeal.
The judges also decided that Atiya should not be identified.
But several few days ago, Lord Justice Hughes lifted the publicity ban and allowed for Atiya's name and photograph to be published in order that it might help find the little girl.
In court, Anjum hinted that his daughter, Atiya might be living in Tehran, Iran with a former girldfriend who also cares for his son from a previous relationship.
Solicitor Matthew Lord, of law firm Pluck Andrew & Co - which has an office in Ashton-under-Lyne said: 'The father has said she is now in Iran but she could well be in the UK - she could be anywhere.
'We think that one possibility is that she is in the Huddersfield area of West Yorkshire.
'We would urge people to look at her photograph and think very carefully if they might have seen her - maybe living nearby.'
Following Anjum's failed appeal in August, Lord Justice McFarlane said it was 'impossible to underestimate' the impact that the 'continued limbo' was having on Ms Wilkinson.
The girl's mother told the Metro: 'With the lack of information, you just imagine the worst.
'I've had no contact with her. It must be so scary for her'.
Lord Justice McFarlane said in August: 'This four-year-old girl has now not seen either of her parents for a period fast approaching two years.
'She is fast growing up with no knowledge of or relationship with either her mother of father.
'The way forward is in her father's own hands and for the child's sake I earnestly hope he will now change from the highly abusive course he has hitherto been set upon.'
Appeal judges heard that Anjum's 'on-off' relationship with Ms Wilkinson ended in 2008.
The couple had met in 2003 while on the same course at Oldham Business Management School. Ms Wilkinson later fell pregnant and they split-up before Atiya was born.
On her third birthday, Anjum took his daughter on a trip Southport, Lancashire and phoned Ms Wilkinson to tell her Atiya was in Pakistan and that she was 'never going to see Atiya again,' judges heard.
Anjum had referred to Ms Wilkinson as 'only or merely her birth mother', judges heard.
Lawyers said Anjum had been jailed for contempt - by judges sitting in the Family Division of the High Court - in 2010, then again in April 2011, then again in October 2011.
They said he was due for release in April next year.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2058479/Atiya-Anjun-Wilkinson-missing-Father-jail-refusing-reveal-whereabouts.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Where IS Atiya? Mystery of missing girl, five, snatched by father who is now in jail for refusing to reveal her whereabouts
Five-year-old went missing on her third birthday during trip to Southport, Lancashire
High Court judges today lift publicity ban allowing the case to be reported
By Nadia Gilani
Last updated at 3:06 PM on 7th November 2011
A father who abducted his five-year-old daughter has been jailed after refusing to reveal her whereabouts.
Atiya Anjun-Wilkinson who turns five today went missing during a trip to the seaside two years ago on her third birthday, High Court judges have heard during private hearings in London.
She was at first thought to be in Pakistan but relatives fear she could now be in Iran.
The girl's mother, Gemma Wilkinson, 32, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester has not seen her daughter since.
Atiya's father - former insurance salesman Razwan Ali Anjum, 27, is in prison for contempt of court several times.
He has repeatedly refused to comply with a court order and reveal Atiya's whereabouts, judges have heard.
Lawyers representing Ms Wilkinson are today appealing for help in finding a four-year-old girl abducted by her father after a senior judge lifted a publicity ban that had prevented the case from being reported previously.
One judge described the case as 'as bad a case of child abduction as I have encountered'.
Details of the case emerged in August at a public Court of Appeal hearing in London - where Anjum, also of Ashton-under-Lyne, failed to persuade three appeal judges to rule that he had been unfairly jailed for contempt.
Anjum argued that repeated prison sentences for contempt of court were unfair and served no purpose.
However Lord Justice McFarlane, Lord Justice Hughes and Lord Justice Tomlinson, disagreed and dismissed Anjum's appeal.
The judges also decided that Atiya should not be identified.
But several few days ago, Lord Justice Hughes lifted the publicity ban and allowed for Atiya's name and photograph to be published in order that it might help find the little girl.
In court, Anjum hinted that his daughter, Atiya might be living in Tehran, Iran with a former girldfriend who also cares for his son from a previous relationship.
Solicitor Matthew Lord, of law firm Pluck Andrew & Co - which has an office in Ashton-under-Lyne said: 'The father has said she is now in Iran but she could well be in the UK - she could be anywhere.
'We think that one possibility is that she is in the Huddersfield area of West Yorkshire.
'We would urge people to look at her photograph and think very carefully if they might have seen her - maybe living nearby.'
Following Anjum's failed appeal in August, Lord Justice McFarlane said it was 'impossible to underestimate' the impact that the 'continued limbo' was having on Ms Wilkinson.
The girl's mother told the Metro: 'With the lack of information, you just imagine the worst.
'I've had no contact with her. It must be so scary for her'.
Lord Justice McFarlane said in August: 'This four-year-old girl has now not seen either of her parents for a period fast approaching two years.
'She is fast growing up with no knowledge of or relationship with either her mother of father.
'The way forward is in her father's own hands and for the child's sake I earnestly hope he will now change from the highly abusive course he has hitherto been set upon.'
Appeal judges heard that Anjum's 'on-off' relationship with Ms Wilkinson ended in 2008.
The couple had met in 2003 while on the same course at Oldham Business Management School. Ms Wilkinson later fell pregnant and they split-up before Atiya was born.
On her third birthday, Anjum took his daughter on a trip Southport, Lancashire and phoned Ms Wilkinson to tell her Atiya was in Pakistan and that she was 'never going to see Atiya again,' judges heard.
Anjum had referred to Ms Wilkinson as 'only or merely her birth mother', judges heard.
Lawyers said Anjum had been jailed for contempt - by judges sitting in the Family Division of the High Court - in 2010, then again in April 2011, then again in October 2011.
They said he was due for release in April next year.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Custodial dad's family chained 3-year-old daughter because she wanted her mom (Faisalabad, Pakistan)
Wanna know how fathers rights and institutionalized male supremacy work in the real world? Then read stories like this from Pakistan and other Middle Eastern countries. Father custody is official policy there. Abusive men and fathers routinely get child custody as a matter of official protocol. Result? Sicko dads who beat, abuse, and divorce their wives automatically get custody, so they go on to beat and abuse their kids with a free rein.
This story really gets under my skin. Dad's sicko relatives (namely his brothers) chained his 3-year-old daughter to the roof. Why? Because she missed her mama....and they thought that chaining her to the roof would help her "forget." These people don't even lie in a convincing manner.
The maternal uncle had to go to the hearing, as women have no legal standing in these matters.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/283618/child-abuse-out-of-patience-with-cry-baby/
Child abuse: Out of patience with cry baby By Shamsul Islam
Published: October 28, 2011
Three-year-old kept chained for seeking her mother.
FAISALABAD:
Rail Bazaar police on Wednesday recovered a three-year-old kept chained by her father at the roof of his house for three days because ‘she wanted to be with her mother’ who had been living with her parents since her divorce two years ago.
The child’s father Muhammad Ali*, a resident of Karkhana Bazaar, and four of his family members arrested during the raid were remanded in judicial custody on Thursday.
The child was handed over to a maternal uncle, Muhammad Ismail*, who had been called by the police to attend the court hearing. Ismail told the court that his sister had left Ali because of his “cruel behaviour”.
Child Protection and Welfare Bureau had earlier declined a request by the court to look after the child. They said they only looked after homeless and street children and pointed out that the child was neither.
Station House Officer Rana Ataullah said that during interrogation Ali told the police that Alina had been asking for her mother for a few days. “She used to cry all the time and said she wanted to be with her mother. I couldn’t take it any longer and decided to lock her on the roof. I thought this would make her forget her mother,” he said.
Ali said he and Saleema had been divorced for two years. Of their four children, a daughter died some six months after their separation. One of their two sons, Abid*, was later adopted by a friend of Faisal’s. Only six-year-old Hasan* and Alina now lived with him.
Eight people have been named in the FIR filed by Ali’s neighbour, Muhammad Sagheer*, under Section 343 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 35 of Child Protection Act of 2004.
Besides Faisal, police have arrested his four brothers. Others nominated in the FIR are the child’s grandparents and an aunt.
Sagheer said he had spotted the child chained at the roof of the house on Wednesday morning after he went upstairs following a child’s cries. He said Alina, who was wearing only a pair of shorts, was not properly protected against the weather. He said he called the police to the spot who released the child.
Sagheer said Ali and his wife Saleema used to fight every other day before their divorce. He said at several occasions his family had to intervene to protect Saleema from Ali.
*Names have been changed to protect identity of the victim
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2011.
This story really gets under my skin. Dad's sicko relatives (namely his brothers) chained his 3-year-old daughter to the roof. Why? Because she missed her mama....and they thought that chaining her to the roof would help her "forget." These people don't even lie in a convincing manner.
The maternal uncle had to go to the hearing, as women have no legal standing in these matters.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/283618/child-abuse-out-of-patience-with-cry-baby/
Child abuse: Out of patience with cry baby By Shamsul Islam
Published: October 28, 2011
Three-year-old kept chained for seeking her mother.
FAISALABAD:
Rail Bazaar police on Wednesday recovered a three-year-old kept chained by her father at the roof of his house for three days because ‘she wanted to be with her mother’ who had been living with her parents since her divorce two years ago.
The child’s father Muhammad Ali*, a resident of Karkhana Bazaar, and four of his family members arrested during the raid were remanded in judicial custody on Thursday.
The child was handed over to a maternal uncle, Muhammad Ismail*, who had been called by the police to attend the court hearing. Ismail told the court that his sister had left Ali because of his “cruel behaviour”.
Child Protection and Welfare Bureau had earlier declined a request by the court to look after the child. They said they only looked after homeless and street children and pointed out that the child was neither.
Station House Officer Rana Ataullah said that during interrogation Ali told the police that Alina had been asking for her mother for a few days. “She used to cry all the time and said she wanted to be with her mother. I couldn’t take it any longer and decided to lock her on the roof. I thought this would make her forget her mother,” he said.
Ali said he and Saleema had been divorced for two years. Of their four children, a daughter died some six months after their separation. One of their two sons, Abid*, was later adopted by a friend of Faisal’s. Only six-year-old Hasan* and Alina now lived with him.
Eight people have been named in the FIR filed by Ali’s neighbour, Muhammad Sagheer*, under Section 343 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and 35 of Child Protection Act of 2004.
Besides Faisal, police have arrested his four brothers. Others nominated in the FIR are the child’s grandparents and an aunt.
Sagheer said he had spotted the child chained at the roof of the house on Wednesday morning after he went upstairs following a child’s cries. He said Alina, who was wearing only a pair of shorts, was not properly protected against the weather. He said he called the police to the spot who released the child.
Sagheer said Ali and his wife Saleema used to fight every other day before their divorce. He said at several occasions his family had to intervene to protect Saleema from Ali.
*Names have been changed to protect identity of the victim
Published in The Express Tribune, October 28th, 2011.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Custodial dad who chained 3-year-old daughter to roof arrested (Faisalabad, Pakistan)
The custodial dad is identified as FAISAL. Of course, this is an area of the world where daddy custody is more or less mandatory (given that these are totally male-dominated societies). Under traditional sharia law, mothers are "supposed to" have physical placement until the children are older, but that obviously didn't happen here. Nope, we have Daddy and his four brothers chaining a little girl because they're clueless, abusive little sh**s. I bet Mom was treated in a similar way before Daddy divorced her.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=25384
Father who chained three-year-old daughter arrested
FAISALABAD: A father and other close relatives of a three-year-old girl chained her for being naughty, Geo News reported.
Upon receiving information from neighbours, police freed the child and arrested her father and four uncles. According to the police, three-year-old Amina was chained on the roof of her house.
The father, Faisal, who was raising three children after divorcing his wife said he would chain Amina in the morning while going to work and release her when he would return home.
Police have lodged a case against the father and uncles.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/NewsDetail.aspx?ID=25384
Father who chained three-year-old daughter arrested
FAISALABAD: A father and other close relatives of a three-year-old girl chained her for being naughty, Geo News reported.
Upon receiving information from neighbours, police freed the child and arrested her father and four uncles. According to the police, three-year-old Amina was chained on the roof of her house.
The father, Faisal, who was raising three children after divorcing his wife said he would chain Amina in the morning while going to work and release her when he would return home.
Police have lodged a case against the father and uncles.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Dad strangles to death 20-year-old daughter for marrying against "his will" (Faisalabad, Pakistan)
More "honor" killing garbage. This time with control freak daddy MIAN KHAN.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/260370/honourable-ends-man-strangles-daughter-in-her-sleep/
‘Honourable’ ends: Man strangles daughter in her sleep
Published: September 26, 2011
FAISALABAD: A man strangled his daughter after she married against his will on Saturday.
According to police officials, Chak No614 GB resident Mian Khan’s daughter Saeeda Bibi, 18, married her neighbour Sarfraz against the will of her parents.
Mian Khan called a panchayat to force Sarfraz’s parents to send his daughter back to him. “He said that he would accept the marriage after his daughter was sent back to him.
He swore it in front of the panchayat,” eyewitness Rahbar Khan said.
Mian Khan swore that he would accept the marriage once his daughter was returned to him and that he would take her to her in-law’s place himself. “He promised that she would be returned to her husband within two days.
He said that he wanted to perform the ‘rukhsati’ of his daughter and that he wanted a grand ceremony,” said a panchayat member Naseer Waliullah Kamal. After Khan vowed to return his daughter, Sarfraz’s parents handed Saeeda Bibi over to her parents on Friday afternoon. Saeeda’s mother told police officials that on Saturday night, her husband strangled his daughter in her sleep. “He choked her with her dupatta. I asked him about arrangements for her rukhsati and he told me that there would be no ceremony as she was dead. When I rushed to find her, I saw that he had already killed her,” Saeeda’s mother Safia Bibi said.
Tandlianwala SHO Mian Zahid Pehalwan said that the body of the deceased had been handed over to her husband Sarfraz after a post mortem. “The tests concluded that the girl had been strangled to death and her father has admitted to the crime,” he said. “Mian Khan told us that he killed his daughter to regain his honour after she had humiliated the entire family. ‘I would never have let her return to that man’ he told us,” the SHO said.
Pehlwan said that a case had been registered under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against Mian Khan on the complaint of deceased’s husband Sarfraz and the accused had been arrested. “I have no regrets over killing my daughter. This was my duty and she was wicked.
She needed to be taught a lesson and she disobeyed me. She had no right to marry without my permission,” Khan told police.
“My entire family, biradari and the village was pointing fingers and ridiculing me after my daughter married of her own free will. After killing her, everyone feels that my honour is restored,” he said.
“Saeeda and I initially planned on running away because we knew that her family would never let us marry. My parents agreed to the match and supported us. I have lost my wife and I want her killer to be punished,” Sarfraz told reporters.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/260370/honourable-ends-man-strangles-daughter-in-her-sleep/
‘Honourable’ ends: Man strangles daughter in her sleep
Published: September 26, 2011
FAISALABAD: A man strangled his daughter after she married against his will on Saturday.
According to police officials, Chak No614 GB resident Mian Khan’s daughter Saeeda Bibi, 18, married her neighbour Sarfraz against the will of her parents.
Mian Khan called a panchayat to force Sarfraz’s parents to send his daughter back to him. “He said that he would accept the marriage after his daughter was sent back to him.
He swore it in front of the panchayat,” eyewitness Rahbar Khan said.
Mian Khan swore that he would accept the marriage once his daughter was returned to him and that he would take her to her in-law’s place himself. “He promised that she would be returned to her husband within two days.
He said that he wanted to perform the ‘rukhsati’ of his daughter and that he wanted a grand ceremony,” said a panchayat member Naseer Waliullah Kamal. After Khan vowed to return his daughter, Sarfraz’s parents handed Saeeda Bibi over to her parents on Friday afternoon. Saeeda’s mother told police officials that on Saturday night, her husband strangled his daughter in her sleep. “He choked her with her dupatta. I asked him about arrangements for her rukhsati and he told me that there would be no ceremony as she was dead. When I rushed to find her, I saw that he had already killed her,” Saeeda’s mother Safia Bibi said.
Tandlianwala SHO Mian Zahid Pehalwan said that the body of the deceased had been handed over to her husband Sarfraz after a post mortem. “The tests concluded that the girl had been strangled to death and her father has admitted to the crime,” he said. “Mian Khan told us that he killed his daughter to regain his honour after she had humiliated the entire family. ‘I would never have let her return to that man’ he told us,” the SHO said.
Pehlwan said that a case had been registered under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against Mian Khan on the complaint of deceased’s husband Sarfraz and the accused had been arrested. “I have no regrets over killing my daughter. This was my duty and she was wicked.
She needed to be taught a lesson and she disobeyed me. She had no right to marry without my permission,” Khan told police.
“My entire family, biradari and the village was pointing fingers and ridiculing me after my daughter married of her own free will. After killing her, everyone feels that my honour is restored,” he said.
“Saeeda and I initially planned on running away because we knew that her family would never let us marry. My parents agreed to the match and supported us. I have lost my wife and I want her killer to be punished,” Sarfraz told reporters.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Dad guns down six daughters in "honor" killing (Faisalabad, Pakistan)
Daddy entitlement plus religious nuttery gets you this: six dead young women. ARIF MUBASHIR has been charged, but will probably get off lightly.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/218250/honour-killings-man-guns-down-six-daughters/
Honour killings: Man guns down six daughters
Published: July 27, 2011
FAISALABAD:
A man gunned down six of his daughters on suspicion that two of them were in relationships with boys in the neighbourhood.
On Tuesday morning, Arif Mubashir called his teenage daughters to his room and shot them while the rest of the family, including their mother, watched. His wife Musarrat called the police after the incident.
Mubashir shot the girls after their brother said two of them were in a relationship. He told police officials that he had killed his daughters because they were both “without honour”. The man said his daughters Sameena, 14, and Razia, 16, were in a relationship with college boys from the neighbourhood and the sisters had helped each other. “I should have been told immediately but the girls sided with each other. They were both corrupt,” Mubashir told Tandlianwala Police Inspector Javed Sial.
Police officials have taken Mubashir into custody and filed a case against him. “He does not regret what he did. He boasted that he would do it all over again if he had to,” Sial told reporters.
Pakistan has repeatedly been termed as one of the least women-friendly countries. In June, the Thompson Reuters Foundation ranked Pakistan as the world’s third most dangerous country for women.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/218250/honour-killings-man-guns-down-six-daughters/
Honour killings: Man guns down six daughters
Published: July 27, 2011
FAISALABAD:
A man gunned down six of his daughters on suspicion that two of them were in relationships with boys in the neighbourhood.
On Tuesday morning, Arif Mubashir called his teenage daughters to his room and shot them while the rest of the family, including their mother, watched. His wife Musarrat called the police after the incident.
Mubashir shot the girls after their brother said two of them were in a relationship. He told police officials that he had killed his daughters because they were both “without honour”. The man said his daughters Sameena, 14, and Razia, 16, were in a relationship with college boys from the neighbourhood and the sisters had helped each other. “I should have been told immediately but the girls sided with each other. They were both corrupt,” Mubashir told Tandlianwala Police Inspector Javed Sial.
Police officials have taken Mubashir into custody and filed a case against him. “He does not regret what he did. He boasted that he would do it all over again if he had to,” Sial told reporters.
Pakistan has repeatedly been termed as one of the least women-friendly countries. In June, the Thompson Reuters Foundation ranked Pakistan as the world’s third most dangerous country for women.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Custodial dad of six gets death for rape of teen daughter (Lahore, Pakistan)
As a muslim country where fathers rights are institutionalized (and where mothers and children have no rights), this is what you get. A dad who gets custody of all the kids after he divorces their mother, while the brothers of the "separated" mom are left trying to negotiate on her behalf. Notice that control freak daddy ZIA MAJEED admits that he had been trying to marry off the teen daughter against her will. And that he accuses Mom of wanting to "abduct" her children. This is the abuser daddy mentality, folks. With additional cultural, religious, and legal support.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/215410/crime-punishment-father-of-six-gets-death-for-daughters-rape/
Father of six gets death for daughter’s rape
By Rana Yasif
Published: July 23, 2011
LAHORE:
Additional District and Sesssions Judge Muhammad Tahir Khan Niazi handed out the death sentence to Zia Majeed*, father of six, who was accused of raping his daughter, a high school student. Majeed claimed he had been implicated in a false case.
The complainant Nazia Farid told the judge that she had been separated from her husband, Majeed. She said she had been living with her mother and brother while her two daughters and four sons had been living with Majeed.
She said on May 18, 2009, her two brothers visited her husband’s house to try and reach a compromise. At about midnight her brothers heard her daughter cry out.
On May 20, 2009, she said, her daughter’s teacher called her to tell her that the child had reported being raped by her father.
Majeed told the court that he was innocent and had been implicated in a false case by his former wife. He said Farid and her brothers had plotted against him after he divorced her. He said his daughter was upset after announced her engagement against her wishes.
He told the court that he had registered an FIR against Farid and her brothers for attempting to abduct their children.
Sub Inspector Ghulam Murtaza of Kahna police who investigated the case had declared Majeed innocent. But after an application from the complainant’s side, the investigation was handed over to SP Jawad Qamar who found him guilty.
*Names of both parents of the victim have been changed to preserve her identity.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/215410/crime-punishment-father-of-six-gets-death-for-daughters-rape/
Father of six gets death for daughter’s rape
By Rana Yasif
Published: July 23, 2011
LAHORE:
Additional District and Sesssions Judge Muhammad Tahir Khan Niazi handed out the death sentence to Zia Majeed*, father of six, who was accused of raping his daughter, a high school student. Majeed claimed he had been implicated in a false case.
The complainant Nazia Farid told the judge that she had been separated from her husband, Majeed. She said she had been living with her mother and brother while her two daughters and four sons had been living with Majeed.
She said on May 18, 2009, her two brothers visited her husband’s house to try and reach a compromise. At about midnight her brothers heard her daughter cry out.
On May 20, 2009, she said, her daughter’s teacher called her to tell her that the child had reported being raped by her father.
Majeed told the court that he was innocent and had been implicated in a false case by his former wife. He said Farid and her brothers had plotted against him after he divorced her. He said his daughter was upset after announced her engagement against her wishes.
He told the court that he had registered an FIR against Farid and her brothers for attempting to abduct their children.
Sub Inspector Ghulam Murtaza of Kahna police who investigated the case had declared Majeed innocent. But after an application from the complainant’s side, the investigation was handed over to SP Jawad Qamar who found him guilty.
*Names of both parents of the victim have been changed to preserve her identity.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Dad who prayed his children would die as martyrs turned down for "access" to kids after divorce (New South Wales, Australia)
Fathers Rights have been institutionalized in Australia for a while. The result has been that any demented, violent father pretty much received "access" on demand, as joint custody became more or less mandatory. The result of that has been lots of murdered kids, such as Darcy Freeman, Yadmira Acar, Kyla Rogers, the three Farquaharson boys...All of them murdered because Daddy had access.
Thank goodness, the Australians are showing some common sense. Five years ago, I swear they would have given caved into this Islamic jihadist nutcase dad's demands for full access. And then they would have been wringing their hands proclaiming what a "tragedy" it was when the same nutcase UNNAMED DAD murdered his kids in some sort of martyrdom scheme.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/dad-prayed-his-children-would-die/story-fn7x8me2-1226081641510
Dad prayed his children would die
Shelley Hadfield
From: Herald Sun June 25, 2011 12:00AM
AN extremist dad living in suburban Australia prayed his children would die as martyrs before puberty so he could enter heaven honourably, a court has been told.
The man sat his daughter, who was not yet three, on his knee to watch videos of executions and suicide bombings, slapping her if she became distressed, his former wife testified.
She said he also had the little girl sing a Jihadi song accompanying the videos.
A federal magistrate accepted the man taught the little girl to "chant enthusiastically and joyously over the death and mutilation of other human beings".
It was alleged the man also punched, slapped or kicked his wife if she did not watch the videos.
A Federal Magistrates' Court judgment, published this week, has revealed the man sought access to his two children, now aged 6 and 3.
But the dad, who has been convicted of assaulting his former wife, has been denied time with the children.
His identity is protected by the Family Law Act, but he continues to live in Australia.
The man was born in Libya and is of Palestinian origin. He and his ex-wife were devout Muslims.
But a federal magistrate said the case was not at all about the man's religious beliefs, rather his broader belief system.
His former wife told the court that while she was pregnant and after their birth of their two children he made duas, or prayers of supplication.
He pronounced the duas, seeking that he and his wife be rewarded with great honour by the children dying before puberty and and going forward in the cause of Islam.
Federal magistrate Joe Harman accepted the father, known by the pseudonym Mr Heiden, pronounced the dua.
"I struggle to understand how a parent could possibly derive any joy from the thought of a child's death, let alone enter into a prayer or plea to have a child taken from them when so many of parents in so many societies, including the present-day Palestine, experience that pain," Mr Harman said.
When asked if he could have pronounced the duas seeking that one of his children die before puberty, the man said: "I'm not sure. I could have. I do that (make duas) a lot."
But when asked if he did make such a dua, he said: "It's possible. I don't think I did. I really can't remember, but I don't see why it's important."
He said later he didn't want to hurt his children or for them to be suicide bombers.
The couple separated in 2008 after the man allegedly slapped, kicked, punched and raped his wife, she told the court.
Mr Heiden denied any violence against his ex-wife.
The court heard the man had several involuntary admissions to hospital for psychiatric issues. The hearing was in New South Wales.
Thank goodness, the Australians are showing some common sense. Five years ago, I swear they would have given caved into this Islamic jihadist nutcase dad's demands for full access. And then they would have been wringing their hands proclaiming what a "tragedy" it was when the same nutcase UNNAMED DAD murdered his kids in some sort of martyrdom scheme.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/dad-prayed-his-children-would-die/story-fn7x8me2-1226081641510
Dad prayed his children would die
Shelley Hadfield
From: Herald Sun June 25, 2011 12:00AM
AN extremist dad living in suburban Australia prayed his children would die as martyrs before puberty so he could enter heaven honourably, a court has been told.
The man sat his daughter, who was not yet three, on his knee to watch videos of executions and suicide bombings, slapping her if she became distressed, his former wife testified.
She said he also had the little girl sing a Jihadi song accompanying the videos.
A federal magistrate accepted the man taught the little girl to "chant enthusiastically and joyously over the death and mutilation of other human beings".
It was alleged the man also punched, slapped or kicked his wife if she did not watch the videos.
A Federal Magistrates' Court judgment, published this week, has revealed the man sought access to his two children, now aged 6 and 3.
But the dad, who has been convicted of assaulting his former wife, has been denied time with the children.
His identity is protected by the Family Law Act, but he continues to live in Australia.
The man was born in Libya and is of Palestinian origin. He and his ex-wife were devout Muslims.
But a federal magistrate said the case was not at all about the man's religious beliefs, rather his broader belief system.
His former wife told the court that while she was pregnant and after their birth of their two children he made duas, or prayers of supplication.
He pronounced the duas, seeking that he and his wife be rewarded with great honour by the children dying before puberty and and going forward in the cause of Islam.
Federal magistrate Joe Harman accepted the father, known by the pseudonym Mr Heiden, pronounced the dua.
"I struggle to understand how a parent could possibly derive any joy from the thought of a child's death, let alone enter into a prayer or plea to have a child taken from them when so many of parents in so many societies, including the present-day Palestine, experience that pain," Mr Harman said.
When asked if he could have pronounced the duas seeking that one of his children die before puberty, the man said: "I'm not sure. I could have. I do that (make duas) a lot."
But when asked if he did make such a dua, he said: "It's possible. I don't think I did. I really can't remember, but I don't see why it's important."
He said later he didn't want to hurt his children or for them to be suicide bombers.
The couple separated in 2008 after the man allegedly slapped, kicked, punched and raped his wife, she told the court.
Mr Heiden denied any violence against his ex-wife.
The court heard the man had several involuntary admissions to hospital for psychiatric issues. The hearing was in New South Wales.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
"Angered" ex-husband tortures mother of 12, shaves her head and eyebrows (Larkana, Pakistan)
Oh sure. No doubt ABDUL SATTAR METLO's little ego was crushed when his wife divorced him two years ago. But you know what? It takes a lot of aggravation to get the mother of 12 to initiate a divorce proceeding. This guy was a deadbeat drug abuser who beat his wife and children. In fact, one son appears to have died--directly or indirectly--as a result of Daddy's beatings. If Daddy had truly been interested in saving his marriage, he would have cleaned up his act.
But abusers are never interested in personal responsibility. Just in tight-fisted control of others. So even two years after the marriage had ended, this guy took it upon himself to torture his ex-wife because he was (still) presumably "angered by divorce." Actually that's just his BS excuse. He just missed having a punching bag around.
Hat tip to Annie.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/97950/angered-by-divorce-ex-husband-tortures-mother-of-12-shaves-head-and-eyebrows/
Angered by divorce: Ex-husband tortures mother of 12, shaves head and eyebrows
Shiraz Pathan
January 2, 2011
LARKANA: The former husband of a 45-year-old woman tortured her and shaved her head and eyebrows at gunpoint, two years after their divorce in Larkana.
The accused escaped after the incident and has yet to be located. The victim, Zohra, narrated her ordeal from the Women’s Police Station in Larkana on Saturday after she escaped from her husband, Abdul Sattar Metlo, and filed a case.
Zohra said that Abdul Sattar, a resident of Aqil Road neighbourhood, divorced her two years ago because of fights. The couple had nine sons and three daughters.
Zohra said that Abdul Sattar was not employed and had become a drug addict. Her eldest son, who worked as a labourer, used to earn for the family but Abdul Sattar tried to take away all the money. “When we protested, he used to beat me and even my children,” she said. Her eldest son became depressed from these fights and died soon after.
After the divorce, Zohra moved to Khairpur with her father and children. Here she earned a living by weaving baskets and selling dates in them.
On Saturday, Zohra went to Larkana to visit Abdul Sattar’s sister because someone in their family had died. When Abdul Sattar saw her, Zohra said, he lost control and started asking her why she left him. “He became very violent,” she said. According to Zohra, he also held a gun against her head and forced his nephews, Waheed, Wali Muhammad and Badshah, to shave her head and eyebrows. After this, he ran away from the house.
Zohra went to the women’s police station and reported her ordeal.
The police raided the house of Abdul Sattar’s sister but could not find him. Zohra told the police that Abdul Sattar may have gone to their 22-year-old daughter, who is married and lives in the Bero Chandio neighbourhood of Larkana.
Gulshan, Zohra’s daughter, said that her father came to visit her on Saturday but he left. She believed that he may be on his way to Khairpur.
SHO Zarina Chandio filed the case on the victim’s behalf and nominated her husband and his three nephews. Further investigations into the case will be held, said officer Zeenat Abro. Zohra was in police custody until the filing of this report.
Meanwhile, Zohra’s daughters, 25-year-old Momal, 24-year-old Pathani and Gulshan are married and living with their husbands. Her remaining children are sons, Muharram, Abdul Jabbar, Waqar, Hamidullah, Shamrez, Rashid and Ghulam Mustafa who are living with Zohra’s father in Khairpur.
Sindh Minister for Women Development Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto took note of this incident and ordered the police to submit a report.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2011.
But abusers are never interested in personal responsibility. Just in tight-fisted control of others. So even two years after the marriage had ended, this guy took it upon himself to torture his ex-wife because he was (still) presumably "angered by divorce." Actually that's just his BS excuse. He just missed having a punching bag around.
Hat tip to Annie.
http://tribune.com.pk/story/97950/angered-by-divorce-ex-husband-tortures-mother-of-12-shaves-head-and-eyebrows/
Angered by divorce: Ex-husband tortures mother of 12, shaves head and eyebrows
Shiraz Pathan
January 2, 2011
LARKANA: The former husband of a 45-year-old woman tortured her and shaved her head and eyebrows at gunpoint, two years after their divorce in Larkana.
The accused escaped after the incident and has yet to be located. The victim, Zohra, narrated her ordeal from the Women’s Police Station in Larkana on Saturday after she escaped from her husband, Abdul Sattar Metlo, and filed a case.
Zohra said that Abdul Sattar, a resident of Aqil Road neighbourhood, divorced her two years ago because of fights. The couple had nine sons and three daughters.
Zohra said that Abdul Sattar was not employed and had become a drug addict. Her eldest son, who worked as a labourer, used to earn for the family but Abdul Sattar tried to take away all the money. “When we protested, he used to beat me and even my children,” she said. Her eldest son became depressed from these fights and died soon after.
After the divorce, Zohra moved to Khairpur with her father and children. Here she earned a living by weaving baskets and selling dates in them.
On Saturday, Zohra went to Larkana to visit Abdul Sattar’s sister because someone in their family had died. When Abdul Sattar saw her, Zohra said, he lost control and started asking her why she left him. “He became very violent,” she said. According to Zohra, he also held a gun against her head and forced his nephews, Waheed, Wali Muhammad and Badshah, to shave her head and eyebrows. After this, he ran away from the house.
Zohra went to the women’s police station and reported her ordeal.
The police raided the house of Abdul Sattar’s sister but could not find him. Zohra told the police that Abdul Sattar may have gone to their 22-year-old daughter, who is married and lives in the Bero Chandio neighbourhood of Larkana.
Gulshan, Zohra’s daughter, said that her father came to visit her on Saturday but he left. She believed that he may be on his way to Khairpur.
SHO Zarina Chandio filed the case on the victim’s behalf and nominated her husband and his three nephews. Further investigations into the case will be held, said officer Zeenat Abro. Zohra was in police custody until the filing of this report.
Meanwhile, Zohra’s daughters, 25-year-old Momal, 24-year-old Pathani and Gulshan are married and living with their husbands. Her remaining children are sons, Muharram, Abdul Jabbar, Waqar, Hamidullah, Shamrez, Rashid and Ghulam Mustafa who are living with Zohra’s father in Khairpur.
Sindh Minister for Women Development Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto took note of this incident and ordered the police to submit a report.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2011.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Dad chains 8-year-old son, dumps him in dark room for "bad behavior" (Sharjah, United Arab Emirates)
At least UNNAMED DAD was arrested after the boy was heard screaming. However, it's not clear that what this daddy did is actually against UAE law. In addition, the mother is unable to intervene as she is a "stateless citizen." Just goes to show that the institutionalization of fathers rights goes hand in hand with the disenfrachisement of mothers and the "acceptance" of all but the most brutal forms of child abuse. This state of affairs, my friends, is what our fathers rights people want for THIS country.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/October/theuae_October464.xml§ion=theuae
Screams from a dark room... boy in chains
Amira Agarib
19 October 2010
SHARJAH — In a bizarre incident, an eight-year-old boy was bound in chains and dumped in a dark room to rue his alleged bad behaviour.
The boy’s father and alleged tormentor, was arrested and will be referred to the Sharjah Public Prosecution; the victim was sent to a social care centre.
A Sharjah Police official told Khaleej Times that neighbours of the family in Ibn Khaldoon area in Al Sajaa informed them about the father’s extreme measure after they heard the child screaming in agony on Monday.
Officers from the Heira police station rushed to the house and found the boy’s hands and feet bound in chains. He was struggling to move, they said. When questioned, the father, a Pakistani national, said he resorted to this extreme step because the boy was behaving badly and needed to be disciplined.
Police said both the child and his mother were stateless citizens. ‘‘We do not have full information on the case and we are still gathering information,’’ a senior official said. There were no torture marks on the boy’s body, but he looked pale, thin and frightened, according to the police.
Meanwhile, the father was detained for a few hours and released on bail. He will appear before the prosecution on Tuesday.
Dubai-based legal consultant Sayed Atia said the UAE laws give fathers the right to correct their children and inculcate good values to them under Article 53 of Federal Penal Code 3 of the year 1987. ‘‘But if the punishment exceeds limits, or if the father harshly beats up the child or injure, or kills him, it is considered a crime, and child abuse charges can be slapped as per the federal penal code.’’
He said Islam urged people to correct their children. ‘‘If a father chains his child with the intention of correcting him, he will be pardoned by the court, otherwise he faces imprisonment of two years for endangering the child’s life.’’
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2010/October/theuae_October464.xml§ion=theuae
Screams from a dark room... boy in chains
Amira Agarib
19 October 2010
SHARJAH — In a bizarre incident, an eight-year-old boy was bound in chains and dumped in a dark room to rue his alleged bad behaviour.
The boy’s father and alleged tormentor, was arrested and will be referred to the Sharjah Public Prosecution; the victim was sent to a social care centre.
A Sharjah Police official told Khaleej Times that neighbours of the family in Ibn Khaldoon area in Al Sajaa informed them about the father’s extreme measure after they heard the child screaming in agony on Monday.
Officers from the Heira police station rushed to the house and found the boy’s hands and feet bound in chains. He was struggling to move, they said. When questioned, the father, a Pakistani national, said he resorted to this extreme step because the boy was behaving badly and needed to be disciplined.
Police said both the child and his mother were stateless citizens. ‘‘We do not have full information on the case and we are still gathering information,’’ a senior official said. There were no torture marks on the boy’s body, but he looked pale, thin and frightened, according to the police.
Meanwhile, the father was detained for a few hours and released on bail. He will appear before the prosecution on Tuesday.
Dubai-based legal consultant Sayed Atia said the UAE laws give fathers the right to correct their children and inculcate good values to them under Article 53 of Federal Penal Code 3 of the year 1987. ‘‘But if the punishment exceeds limits, or if the father harshly beats up the child or injure, or kills him, it is considered a crime, and child abuse charges can be slapped as per the federal penal code.’’
He said Islam urged people to correct their children. ‘‘If a father chains his child with the intention of correcting him, he will be pardoned by the court, otherwise he faces imprisonment of two years for endangering the child’s life.’’
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Mom of children killed by dad: "They made me send my kids to him" (Houston, Texas)
We just posted on this case earlier today. Unfortunately, what happened to this mother and her children is all too common, as the courts have become overrun with stupid (if not out and out corrupt) guardian ad litems and the like. Nobody listens to real evidence, nobody pays attention to the mother. The children are forced into visitation with their violent fathers--and that's when they are spared sole custody by their father. And children are dying as a result, just as these three children did at the hands of their violent dad, MOHAMMAD GOHER. A convicted criminal.
And make no mistake, when you're in "mediation" (a/k/a abuser enabling services), it's utterly taboo to ask for sole custody, even if you honestly believe it's better for all concerned. It just isn't done, you know. And it will be held against you if you do.
Hat tip to Annie.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7210150.html
'They still made me send my kids to him'
Mother of slain children says she sounded alarm about abuse repeatedly
By LINDSAY WISE and ERICKA MELLON
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Sept. 20, 2010, 9:48PM
HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Mohammad Goher is charged with capital murder in the deaths of his three kids.
A woman whose estranged husband shot and killed their three children while they slept in his Harris County apartment on Sunday says no one heeded her warnings that her husband was dangerous.
"I have documents of everything, all the abuse, and I showed it to everyone, but no one believed me, and they still made me send my kids to him every weekend," Norma Martinez said in a statement read by Tayseir Mahmoud, a board member at An-Nisa Hope Center, a nonprofit that operates a shelter for battered women.
Martinez and the children had been living at the shelter since March, Mahmoud said. The children would visit their father every weekend in accordance with a court-ordered visitation schedule, she said.
"She's been married to this man for 15 years, and she's gone through a lot of domestic abuse," Mahmoud said of Martinez, who was too distraught to speak publicly on Monday. "Since three years ago, she's been trying to tell people her story and raise awareness of what's gong on and nobody really took her seriously."
Martinez's husband, Mohammad Goher, 47, is charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of son Saeed, 12, and daughters Saeedah, 14 and Aisha, 7.
The children were at the heart of a bitter custody dispute that dragged on for years as their parents' marriage deteriorated.
In May 2006, Goher was convicted of assault of a family member and placed on deferred adjudication, district attorney's spokesman George Flynn said. Official records indicate Goher, who was intoxicated, beat his wife with his hands and fists, leaving her bruised and injuring her right hand.
In 2008, Goher took the children to stay with relatives in Pakistan and refused to tell his wife where they were, said Christina Diaz, the vice president of operations for An-Nisa. Diaz said Martinez, who's Hispanic, sought help from the FBI, consulates and embassies. She finally reunited with the children about six months ago after An-Nisa volunteers helped her locate them in Pakistan.
Custody hearing
Martinez filed for divorce in February. She planned to request joint custody at a divorce mediation on Friday, Mahmoud said. "She was not asking for sole custody of the children," Mahmoud said.
But Goher apparently feared he might never see his children again. He'd threatened to kill or hurt himself if he lost visitation, said attorney Syed Izfar, who was appointed by a court to represent the children in the mediation.
About four weeks ago, Goher called Manzoor Memon, the editor in chief of a monthly journal and weekly radio show serving Houston's Pakistani community.
About four weeks ago, Goher called Manzoor Memon, the editor in chief of a monthly journal and weekly radio show serving Houston's Pakistani community.
"He wanted me to help him to get his family back," Memon said. He said Goher suspected his wife had a relationship with another man, who planned to marry her.
Volunteers with the An-Nisa Hope Center denied any improper relationship existed and said Memon's involvement just made a fraught situation worse. Mahmoud said Memon's wife "claims to be some kind of psychic" and told Goher the judge would grant full custody to his wife.
Memon said his wife is psychic, but she never made any predictions to Goher. "She had told him that you need to get your act together otherwise you'll lose your kids," Memon said.
Memon and his wife visited Goher's apartment on Saturday and Goher agreed to discuss his situation on Memon's radio show on Sunday. Memon said he called Goher that morning to confirm his appearance on the show, but no one picked up the phone.
'They were scared'
Goher is accused of shooting the children to death in their beds at about 9 a.m. Sunday before turning the gun on himself at his apartment in the 13000 block of Homestead.
Goher survived and was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he remained unconscious on Monday, said Harris County Homicide Sgt. Ben Beall.
One of the children's former teachers recalled that Saeedah expressed fear that she and her younger siblings had to spend the weekends with their dad.
"She really liked being with her mom. They were scared to go with their dad," said Jodi Fisher, a math teacher at Schindewolf Intermediate in the Klein Independent School District. "They loved him, but they were scared."
Quiet and reserved
Even so, Saeedah told her teacher that her younger sister and brother did enjoy going to their dad's place.
"The reason she went was to protect them," Fisher said.
Saeedah never mentioned if her father was violent, Fisher said, but the girl would tear up at times talking about her family.
"But I never ever thought anything like this would happen," said Fisher, who taught Saeedah last school year and her younger brother, Saeed, this school year.
Both children were quiet, Fisher said, but they always asked for help with their work and were very bright.
"They were two of the best kids," Fisher recalled. "Very reserved, but, oh my goodness, they were so sweet."
Saeedah was a freshman at Klein Collins High School this year and was on the track team. Saeed was a seventh-grader at Schindewolf, and Aisha was a second-grader at Lemm Elementary.
Vicki Bevan, Saeedah's track coach at Klein Collins, said the teenager didn't have track experience but called her over the summer to ask to join the team.
"She just said she wanted some normalcy in her life, and she felt like being part of a team could bring that," Bevan recalled.
Reporter Allan Turner contributed to this report.
lindsay.wise@chron.com
ericka.mellon@chron.com
And make no mistake, when you're in "mediation" (a/k/a abuser enabling services), it's utterly taboo to ask for sole custody, even if you honestly believe it's better for all concerned. It just isn't done, you know. And it will be held against you if you do.
Hat tip to Annie.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7210150.html
'They still made me send my kids to him'
Mother of slain children says she sounded alarm about abuse repeatedly
By LINDSAY WISE and ERICKA MELLON
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Sept. 20, 2010, 9:48PM
HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
Mohammad Goher is charged with capital murder in the deaths of his three kids.
A woman whose estranged husband shot and killed their three children while they slept in his Harris County apartment on Sunday says no one heeded her warnings that her husband was dangerous.
"I have documents of everything, all the abuse, and I showed it to everyone, but no one believed me, and they still made me send my kids to him every weekend," Norma Martinez said in a statement read by Tayseir Mahmoud, a board member at An-Nisa Hope Center, a nonprofit that operates a shelter for battered women.
Martinez and the children had been living at the shelter since March, Mahmoud said. The children would visit their father every weekend in accordance with a court-ordered visitation schedule, she said.
"She's been married to this man for 15 years, and she's gone through a lot of domestic abuse," Mahmoud said of Martinez, who was too distraught to speak publicly on Monday. "Since three years ago, she's been trying to tell people her story and raise awareness of what's gong on and nobody really took her seriously."
Martinez's husband, Mohammad Goher, 47, is charged with capital murder in the shooting deaths of son Saeed, 12, and daughters Saeedah, 14 and Aisha, 7.
The children were at the heart of a bitter custody dispute that dragged on for years as their parents' marriage deteriorated.
In May 2006, Goher was convicted of assault of a family member and placed on deferred adjudication, district attorney's spokesman George Flynn said. Official records indicate Goher, who was intoxicated, beat his wife with his hands and fists, leaving her bruised and injuring her right hand.
In 2008, Goher took the children to stay with relatives in Pakistan and refused to tell his wife where they were, said Christina Diaz, the vice president of operations for An-Nisa. Diaz said Martinez, who's Hispanic, sought help from the FBI, consulates and embassies. She finally reunited with the children about six months ago after An-Nisa volunteers helped her locate them in Pakistan.
Custody hearing
Martinez filed for divorce in February. She planned to request joint custody at a divorce mediation on Friday, Mahmoud said. "She was not asking for sole custody of the children," Mahmoud said.
But Goher apparently feared he might never see his children again. He'd threatened to kill or hurt himself if he lost visitation, said attorney Syed Izfar, who was appointed by a court to represent the children in the mediation.
About four weeks ago, Goher called Manzoor Memon, the editor in chief of a monthly journal and weekly radio show serving Houston's Pakistani community.
About four weeks ago, Goher called Manzoor Memon, the editor in chief of a monthly journal and weekly radio show serving Houston's Pakistani community.
"He wanted me to help him to get his family back," Memon said. He said Goher suspected his wife had a relationship with another man, who planned to marry her.
Volunteers with the An-Nisa Hope Center denied any improper relationship existed and said Memon's involvement just made a fraught situation worse. Mahmoud said Memon's wife "claims to be some kind of psychic" and told Goher the judge would grant full custody to his wife.
Memon said his wife is psychic, but she never made any predictions to Goher. "She had told him that you need to get your act together otherwise you'll lose your kids," Memon said.
Memon and his wife visited Goher's apartment on Saturday and Goher agreed to discuss his situation on Memon's radio show on Sunday. Memon said he called Goher that morning to confirm his appearance on the show, but no one picked up the phone.
'They were scared'
Goher is accused of shooting the children to death in their beds at about 9 a.m. Sunday before turning the gun on himself at his apartment in the 13000 block of Homestead.
Goher survived and was taken to Ben Taub General Hospital, where he remained unconscious on Monday, said Harris County Homicide Sgt. Ben Beall.
One of the children's former teachers recalled that Saeedah expressed fear that she and her younger siblings had to spend the weekends with their dad.
"She really liked being with her mom. They were scared to go with their dad," said Jodi Fisher, a math teacher at Schindewolf Intermediate in the Klein Independent School District. "They loved him, but they were scared."
Quiet and reserved
Even so, Saeedah told her teacher that her younger sister and brother did enjoy going to their dad's place.
"The reason she went was to protect them," Fisher said.
Saeedah never mentioned if her father was violent, Fisher said, but the girl would tear up at times talking about her family.
"But I never ever thought anything like this would happen," said Fisher, who taught Saeedah last school year and her younger brother, Saeed, this school year.
Both children were quiet, Fisher said, but they always asked for help with their work and were very bright.
"They were two of the best kids," Fisher recalled. "Very reserved, but, oh my goodness, they were so sweet."
Saeedah was a freshman at Klein Collins High School this year and was on the track team. Saeed was a seventh-grader at Schindewolf, and Aisha was a second-grader at Lemm Elementary.
Vicki Bevan, Saeedah's track coach at Klein Collins, said the teenager didn't have track experience but called her over the summer to ask to join the team.
"She just said she wanted some normalcy in her life, and she felt like being part of a team could bring that," Bevan recalled.
Reporter Allan Turner contributed to this report.
lindsay.wise@chron.com
ericka.mellon@chron.com
Monday, June 28, 2010
Dad arranges for mom to be drugged and dumped in Pakistan, then files for divorce, custody of 2-month-old son (England)
Wow, I thought I'd heard of every custodial scam there was, but this tactic is brand new to me. In this case we have a creative twist on the usual international kidnapping scenario. Seems this abusive English father had grown "bored" with his young Pakistani wife, but wanted full ownership of their 2-month-old son. So does he kill her? Kidnap the kid? No. He had her drugged and flown out of England back to Pakistan, where she was dumped at her parents' house. In other words, he deliberately left her stranded with no passport or ID. How he quite managed this is not really explained, but he must have had some cooperation with certain authorities on high. However, interestingly enough, this is not explored here. Then with the baby's mom out of the way, he manages to file for divorce. Now the mom can't get back into the U.K. for the baby's child welfare (custody) hearing. Sickening.
http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/room/view_article.asp?name=../articles/5244-TM-Mother-stranded-in-Pakistan.htm
Mother stranded in Pakistan
27 June 2010
In the news at the moment the Family Division of the High Court ruled last week that the mother of a British baby boy was deliberately stranded in Pakistan by her husband and his relatives.
The child now lives with his father and family in the north of England. The court was told that the father had grown bored of his wife after two years of marriage and and wanted to keep the son. Mrs Justice Hogg urged the Home Office to allow the mother, Aqila, now 20 years old, back into the country after she was drugged and flown to Pakistan , and left outside her parents home, without any documents. Aqila does not speak English.
This was apparently following a row between the spouses. The husband obtained divorce papers from a priest within 48 hours of the row. He also claims he sent her passport, ID card, and divorce papers to the British High Commission. They were never seen.
The baby boy was two months old and Aqila alleged that from the start of the marriage the mother had been bullied by the father and his relatives. In turn the father alleges that Aqila was very demanding and unreasonable.
In her judgment, Mrs Justice Mary Hogg said:
I do not accept that the grandfather knew nothing about it. He was fully aware that the marriage was failing and deeply involved in the plan to take her there and leave her stranded from her baby. Grandmother was aware of the plan, too... This was a callous way of behaving towards a new young mother and her very young baby. This is sadly not the first case of deliberate separation of a mother from her child. This is emotionally harmful to the child... it is abhorrent. It is selfish and cruel behaviour by those who do it."
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office was aware of this case, as was the UK Border Agency and the British High Commission. It was most unfortunate that she was not given permission to come in for this hearing... I make an urgent plea to the immigration authorities that this mother is able to enter this country for the purpose of the welfare hearing.
The court was told that Aqila needed to be let into the country to attend a welfare hearing about her son, but the UK authorities had been unwilling to let Aqila in.
Aqila came to live in England on a spousal visa, valid until December 2010. She and her husband, who was her legal sponsor, needed to fulfil certain immigration procedures for her to stay here indefinitely. Aqila has a new Pakistani passport but the British High Commission has refused to supply her with a duplicate spousal visa which would allow her to fight this case in person.
The UK Border Agency commented in response to Mrs Justice Hogg:
We will consider the judge's comments in this case. Anyone with a child custody case before the UK courts can apply to enter the country for the hearing.
The solicitor acting for Aqila has dealt with over 50 cases and has highlighted a hidden abuse of overseas women who marry UK men. It is hoped the ruling will help these women.
Tim Mount is a trainee solicitor, contactable at tim.mount@lawdit.co.uk
http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/room/view_article.asp?name=../articles/5244-TM-Mother-stranded-in-Pakistan.htm
Mother stranded in Pakistan
27 June 2010
In the news at the moment the Family Division of the High Court ruled last week that the mother of a British baby boy was deliberately stranded in Pakistan by her husband and his relatives.
The child now lives with his father and family in the north of England. The court was told that the father had grown bored of his wife after two years of marriage and and wanted to keep the son. Mrs Justice Hogg urged the Home Office to allow the mother, Aqila, now 20 years old, back into the country after she was drugged and flown to Pakistan , and left outside her parents home, without any documents. Aqila does not speak English.
This was apparently following a row between the spouses. The husband obtained divorce papers from a priest within 48 hours of the row. He also claims he sent her passport, ID card, and divorce papers to the British High Commission. They were never seen.
The baby boy was two months old and Aqila alleged that from the start of the marriage the mother had been bullied by the father and his relatives. In turn the father alleges that Aqila was very demanding and unreasonable.
In her judgment, Mrs Justice Mary Hogg said:
I do not accept that the grandfather knew nothing about it. He was fully aware that the marriage was failing and deeply involved in the plan to take her there and leave her stranded from her baby. Grandmother was aware of the plan, too... This was a callous way of behaving towards a new young mother and her very young baby. This is sadly not the first case of deliberate separation of a mother from her child. This is emotionally harmful to the child... it is abhorrent. It is selfish and cruel behaviour by those who do it."
The Foreign & Commonwealth Office was aware of this case, as was the UK Border Agency and the British High Commission. It was most unfortunate that she was not given permission to come in for this hearing... I make an urgent plea to the immigration authorities that this mother is able to enter this country for the purpose of the welfare hearing.
The court was told that Aqila needed to be let into the country to attend a welfare hearing about her son, but the UK authorities had been unwilling to let Aqila in.
Aqila came to live in England on a spousal visa, valid until December 2010. She and her husband, who was her legal sponsor, needed to fulfil certain immigration procedures for her to stay here indefinitely. Aqila has a new Pakistani passport but the British High Commission has refused to supply her with a duplicate spousal visa which would allow her to fight this case in person.
The UK Border Agency commented in response to Mrs Justice Hogg:
We will consider the judge's comments in this case. Anyone with a child custody case before the UK courts can apply to enter the country for the hearing.
The solicitor acting for Aqila has dealt with over 50 cases and has highlighted a hidden abuse of overseas women who marry UK men. It is hoped the ruling will help these women.
Tim Mount is a trainee solicitor, contactable at tim.mount@lawdit.co.uk
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
My fight to protect the women in my country (Afganistan)
Inspiring story of Wazhma Frogh, who won the 2009 U.S. State Department's International Women of Courage Award. Note, however, that you have to go to the U.K. media to hear her speak. Why does the U.S. media black out coverage of these things?
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/lifestyle-news/your-life/2010/03/10/my-fight-to-protect-the-women-in-my-country-92746-26001812/
My fight to protect the women in my country
Mar 10 2010
By Catherine Vonledebur
AFGHAN women’s rights defender Wazhma Frogh rubbed shoulders with Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama when she won the 2009 US State Department’s International Women of Courage Award.
She has faced prejudice, intimidation and death threats to speak out against domestic violence, marital rape and child abuse in Afghanistan.
Yet the 30-year-old post graduate student at Warwick University says: ” If I am able to open doors for 10 other women in my country, then it is worth it.”
ANYONE who has read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini will know women in Afghanistan have been deprived the most basic human rights.
This story of two women, by the author of The Kite Runner, is set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s past 30 years – from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding.
In his story, Mariam, aged 15, is married off to Rasheed, a shoemaker 30 years her senior by her estranged father, following her mother’s suicide. After seven miscarriages Rasheed takes a second younger wife Laila, who is educated, ambitious and secretly pregnant with another man’s child...
And that is just fiction.
Wazhma Frogh has witnessed the harsh reality.
The 30-year-old human rights lawyer from Kabul said: “I’d say Khaled Hosseini’s story is not wholly representative of Afghan life, but the very brutal reality of child abuse is true.
“In The Kite Runner the tradition of making boys dance and using them as sex slaves is quite common, and like the characters in A Thousand Splendid Suns young girls are married off to old men.
“I have been to a wedding where a three-year-old girl was married. Her father gave her to an old man. They took her to her husband’s house and she was just playing, she didn’t understand.
“When I started work on child sexual abuse I had the problem that people would not even listen. They’d say: “You need to stop talking about these issues. We are a Muslim country”.
“Human rights activists set up a woman’s shelter and we used domestic abuse cases of these women to advocate and lobby for women and children’s rights.”
Cases include a woman whose nose and ears were cut off by her husband because she simply walked out of her home without him, and a woman murdered by her husband in front of the whole community because she left him, tired of the domestic abuse she had suffered.
The gender and development specialist continued: “One mother at the shelter brought her 12-year-old daughter who was raped by her uncle. Her husband had said to her ‘If you raise your voice about this I will kill you’, but the mother ignored him and took her daughter away.
“It’s amazing when you see a mother challenging her husband and pressing charges against the uncle. You just want to salute her.”
“It’s amazing when you see a mother challenging her husband and pressing charges against the uncle. You just want to salute her.”
Wazhma’s bold outspokenness for women, children and social justice has won international recognition and also seen the passing of Afghanistan’s new Elimination of Violence Against Women law.
In 2009 Wazhma was one of eight women chosen for the US State’s International Woman of Courage award, presented by Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.
She said: ”This award recognises the women of Afghanistan are not all passive or victims, but women who are making a difference.
“Both of them are very nice. Michelle Obama is an ordinary woman with alot of passion and commitment for women worldwide. I met her again at the London Conference in January and she emphasised her continued support for the women of Afghanistan.”
Wazhma is studying for a masters in international development law and human rights at Warwick University, but she also writes a blog – wazhmafrogh.blogspot.com – and has written for newspapers, including the Washington Post and The Guardian.
“Warwick University has a good image worldwide. I wanted to study this course because one day I would like to become a judge in Afghanistan’s Supreme court,” she said.
Growing up in Kabul, Wazhma was the oldest of five children, four girls and one boy.
She has vivid memories of the Soviet occupation, the bombing and the reign of the Taliban.
Under the 1996-2001 Taliban rule Afghan women were routinely beaten in public and even stoned to death for perceived breaches of Islamic law.
Wazhma and her sisters, like all other women, could not leave the house without a male relative or wearing a burka.
She said: “One of the scariest moments for me was going to the market with my dad. I was wearing a burka and could hardly see where I was going. I held on to what I thought was his coat but it turned out to be a Taliban leader.
“He turned and shouted at me asking what I was doing there alone. Terrified, I said I’d lost my dad: ‘Go and find your father!’ he shouted.”
When she was 10 Wazhma’s family fled. They ended up as refugees in Pakistan.
At the age of 12 Wazhma offered to tutor her landlady’s children in exchange for reduced rent, so she and her sisters would be able to continue school.
She said: “I started challenging values and because I was able to earn money that gave me status and they started listening to me. It was not easy at that time. But education is an empowering tool.”
Wazhma first became involved in human rights when she was 17. She used her internship at a leading Pakistani newspaper to expose poor living conditions and abuses of women’s rights in the Afghan refugee camps.
Wazhma has since organised public debates on domestic violence and marital rape in Afghanistan, both previously unmentionable topics in her country.
She persuaded mullahs to join her in a month-long campaign of speaking out against domestic violence, and, by mobilising a group of over 35 civil society organizations, convinced the government of Afghanistan to take action against child rape.
Even in her own family Wazhma has seen attitudes change towards women. Her father is now very supportive of her sister’s education. One sister is married and studying law, another is training to be a teacher while her 15-year-old brother and 10-year-old sister, are still in school.
Her parents are “happy and proud” of their daughter’s work, but understandably worried for her safety.
Last April an outspoken female Afghan human rights activist Sitara Achakzai was gunned down at point blank range by the Taliban.
Although she lives hundreds of miles away from Kabul in Coventry, Wazhma has received death threats.
She said: “Three months ago someone phoned my Dad in Kabul and said: ‘Your daughter thinks she’s safe in the UK, but this is not true’.
“It is hard. I see that they are trying to create fear in me so that I will stop – but I will not stop! If I am able to open doors for 10 other women in my country, then it is worth it.”
Wazhma believes International Women’s Day should be remembered as a struggle for justice across the world.
“In Afghanistan, International Women’s Day is known as Women’s Solidarity Day.
“We have a lot to celebrate. We have achieved a lot in the last nine years,” she said. “But education, health and jobs in the rural economy are still important issues – out of six million children only 40 per cent of girls are going to school.
“We recognise in different parts of in the world there are common situations. In the UK there is the pay difference between men and women, the glass ceiling.”
Cycle of abuse
WOMEN human rights defenders in Afghanistan have told Amnesty International they face intimidation and attacks as they attempt to tackle violence and discrimination in the country.
Women and girls in Afghanistan face widespread human rights abuses including abduction, rape and trafficking.
More than 87 per cent of Afghan women suffer from domestic abuse, according to the UN, and between 60 and 80 per cent of marriages are forced.
This is despite a pledge from the Afghan government to protect women’s rights and promote gender equality in Afghanistan.
AFGHAN wives are choose to burn themselves to death to escape a life of domestic torture and abuse.
Domestic violence and forced marriage are forcing women to commit self-immolation and suicide.
“I poured fuel over my body and set myself ablaze because I was regularly beaten up and insulted by my husband and in-laws,” Zarmina, 28, told a IRIN Afghanistan TV.
She along with a dozen other women with self-inflicted burns, were treated in Herat’s burns hospital.
More than 90 self-immolation cases have been registered at the hospital in the past 11 months; 55 women had died.
IN January 17-year-old Afghan girl Amina of the Chakhansoor District of Nimroz Province set herself on fire and died because of a forced engagement to a 55-year-old man.
Dur Mohammad, her father, had engaged his daughter to Faiz Mohammad and in exchange had engaged his 22-year old daughter to himself.
Dur Mohammad has a wife and five children and Faiz Mohammad has a wife and four children.
Amina had many suitors and some young men were even ready to pay as much as 750,000 Afghanis but Amina’s father wouldn’t agree.
Amina Hakimi, head of the Women’s Administration of Nimroz, condemned Amina’s engagement and said families shouldn’t force their daughters into engagement or marriage.
Ghulam Farooq Sherzad, an appeal court chief said that if it was proven that Amina committed suicide because of the forced engagement her father would be arrested and could be jailed for ten years.
OVER the past two years more than 1,900 cases of violence against women in 26 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces were recorded in a database run by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and UN Fund for Women.
http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/lifestyle-news/your-life/2010/03/10/my-fight-to-protect-the-women-in-my-country-92746-26001812/
My fight to protect the women in my country
Mar 10 2010
By Catherine Vonledebur
AFGHAN women’s rights defender Wazhma Frogh rubbed shoulders with Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama when she won the 2009 US State Department’s International Women of Courage Award.
She has faced prejudice, intimidation and death threats to speak out against domestic violence, marital rape and child abuse in Afghanistan.
Yet the 30-year-old post graduate student at Warwick University says: ” If I am able to open doors for 10 other women in my country, then it is worth it.”
ANYONE who has read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini will know women in Afghanistan have been deprived the most basic human rights.
This story of two women, by the author of The Kite Runner, is set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s past 30 years – from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding.
In his story, Mariam, aged 15, is married off to Rasheed, a shoemaker 30 years her senior by her estranged father, following her mother’s suicide. After seven miscarriages Rasheed takes a second younger wife Laila, who is educated, ambitious and secretly pregnant with another man’s child...
And that is just fiction.
Wazhma Frogh has witnessed the harsh reality.
The 30-year-old human rights lawyer from Kabul said: “I’d say Khaled Hosseini’s story is not wholly representative of Afghan life, but the very brutal reality of child abuse is true.
“In The Kite Runner the tradition of making boys dance and using them as sex slaves is quite common, and like the characters in A Thousand Splendid Suns young girls are married off to old men.
“I have been to a wedding where a three-year-old girl was married. Her father gave her to an old man. They took her to her husband’s house and she was just playing, she didn’t understand.
“When I started work on child sexual abuse I had the problem that people would not even listen. They’d say: “You need to stop talking about these issues. We are a Muslim country”.
“Human rights activists set up a woman’s shelter and we used domestic abuse cases of these women to advocate and lobby for women and children’s rights.”
Cases include a woman whose nose and ears were cut off by her husband because she simply walked out of her home without him, and a woman murdered by her husband in front of the whole community because she left him, tired of the domestic abuse she had suffered.
The gender and development specialist continued: “One mother at the shelter brought her 12-year-old daughter who was raped by her uncle. Her husband had said to her ‘If you raise your voice about this I will kill you’, but the mother ignored him and took her daughter away.
“It’s amazing when you see a mother challenging her husband and pressing charges against the uncle. You just want to salute her.”
“It’s amazing when you see a mother challenging her husband and pressing charges against the uncle. You just want to salute her.”
Wazhma’s bold outspokenness for women, children and social justice has won international recognition and also seen the passing of Afghanistan’s new Elimination of Violence Against Women law.
In 2009 Wazhma was one of eight women chosen for the US State’s International Woman of Courage award, presented by Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama.
She said: ”This award recognises the women of Afghanistan are not all passive or victims, but women who are making a difference.
“Both of them are very nice. Michelle Obama is an ordinary woman with alot of passion and commitment for women worldwide. I met her again at the London Conference in January and she emphasised her continued support for the women of Afghanistan.”
Wazhma is studying for a masters in international development law and human rights at Warwick University, but she also writes a blog – wazhmafrogh.blogspot.com – and has written for newspapers, including the Washington Post and The Guardian.
“Warwick University has a good image worldwide. I wanted to study this course because one day I would like to become a judge in Afghanistan’s Supreme court,” she said.
Growing up in Kabul, Wazhma was the oldest of five children, four girls and one boy.
She has vivid memories of the Soviet occupation, the bombing and the reign of the Taliban.
Under the 1996-2001 Taliban rule Afghan women were routinely beaten in public and even stoned to death for perceived breaches of Islamic law.
Wazhma and her sisters, like all other women, could not leave the house without a male relative or wearing a burka.
She said: “One of the scariest moments for me was going to the market with my dad. I was wearing a burka and could hardly see where I was going. I held on to what I thought was his coat but it turned out to be a Taliban leader.
“He turned and shouted at me asking what I was doing there alone. Terrified, I said I’d lost my dad: ‘Go and find your father!’ he shouted.”
When she was 10 Wazhma’s family fled. They ended up as refugees in Pakistan.
At the age of 12 Wazhma offered to tutor her landlady’s children in exchange for reduced rent, so she and her sisters would be able to continue school.
She said: “I started challenging values and because I was able to earn money that gave me status and they started listening to me. It was not easy at that time. But education is an empowering tool.”
Wazhma first became involved in human rights when she was 17. She used her internship at a leading Pakistani newspaper to expose poor living conditions and abuses of women’s rights in the Afghan refugee camps.
Wazhma has since organised public debates on domestic violence and marital rape in Afghanistan, both previously unmentionable topics in her country.
She persuaded mullahs to join her in a month-long campaign of speaking out against domestic violence, and, by mobilising a group of over 35 civil society organizations, convinced the government of Afghanistan to take action against child rape.
Even in her own family Wazhma has seen attitudes change towards women. Her father is now very supportive of her sister’s education. One sister is married and studying law, another is training to be a teacher while her 15-year-old brother and 10-year-old sister, are still in school.
Her parents are “happy and proud” of their daughter’s work, but understandably worried for her safety.
Last April an outspoken female Afghan human rights activist Sitara Achakzai was gunned down at point blank range by the Taliban.
Although she lives hundreds of miles away from Kabul in Coventry, Wazhma has received death threats.
She said: “Three months ago someone phoned my Dad in Kabul and said: ‘Your daughter thinks she’s safe in the UK, but this is not true’.
“It is hard. I see that they are trying to create fear in me so that I will stop – but I will not stop! If I am able to open doors for 10 other women in my country, then it is worth it.”
Wazhma believes International Women’s Day should be remembered as a struggle for justice across the world.
“In Afghanistan, International Women’s Day is known as Women’s Solidarity Day.
“We have a lot to celebrate. We have achieved a lot in the last nine years,” she said. “But education, health and jobs in the rural economy are still important issues – out of six million children only 40 per cent of girls are going to school.
“We recognise in different parts of in the world there are common situations. In the UK there is the pay difference between men and women, the glass ceiling.”
Cycle of abuse
WOMEN human rights defenders in Afghanistan have told Amnesty International they face intimidation and attacks as they attempt to tackle violence and discrimination in the country.
Women and girls in Afghanistan face widespread human rights abuses including abduction, rape and trafficking.
More than 87 per cent of Afghan women suffer from domestic abuse, according to the UN, and between 60 and 80 per cent of marriages are forced.
This is despite a pledge from the Afghan government to protect women’s rights and promote gender equality in Afghanistan.
AFGHAN wives are choose to burn themselves to death to escape a life of domestic torture and abuse.
Domestic violence and forced marriage are forcing women to commit self-immolation and suicide.
“I poured fuel over my body and set myself ablaze because I was regularly beaten up and insulted by my husband and in-laws,” Zarmina, 28, told a IRIN Afghanistan TV.
She along with a dozen other women with self-inflicted burns, were treated in Herat’s burns hospital.
More than 90 self-immolation cases have been registered at the hospital in the past 11 months; 55 women had died.
IN January 17-year-old Afghan girl Amina of the Chakhansoor District of Nimroz Province set herself on fire and died because of a forced engagement to a 55-year-old man.
Dur Mohammad, her father, had engaged his daughter to Faiz Mohammad and in exchange had engaged his 22-year old daughter to himself.
Dur Mohammad has a wife and five children and Faiz Mohammad has a wife and four children.
Amina had many suitors and some young men were even ready to pay as much as 750,000 Afghanis but Amina’s father wouldn’t agree.
Amina Hakimi, head of the Women’s Administration of Nimroz, condemned Amina’s engagement and said families shouldn’t force their daughters into engagement or marriage.
Ghulam Farooq Sherzad, an appeal court chief said that if it was proven that Amina committed suicide because of the forced engagement her father would be arrested and could be jailed for ten years.
OVER the past two years more than 1,900 cases of violence against women in 26 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces were recorded in a database run by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and UN Fund for Women.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Dad tries to force daughter into arranged marriage; when family opposed him, he threatens them with death, but gets community service (United Kingdom)
Dad AURANG ZEB has been convicted for breaching a Forced Marriage Protection Order (he was trying to make his daughter leave Great Britain and marry a man in Pakistan against her will). Dad was angry that his wife had opposed him in this, and threatened to kill her and cut out her tongue. He has stalked her, and tried to run his adult son off the road. So what did our brave friends in Great Britain do? The refused to jail him and gave him community service! WTF?
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1228934/Muslim-father-staged-hate-campaign-daughter-arranged-marriage-given-lifetime-restraining-order.html
Spared jail, the forced marriage case father who told wife: 'I'll cut out your tongue'
By James Tozer
Last updated at 3:45 AM on 19th November 2009
A muslim who threatened to kill his wife and cut out her tongue after she blocked an arranged marriage for their daughter has been banned from seeing his family.
In the first prosecution of its kind, Aurang Zeb has been convicted of breaching a Forced Marriage Protection Order taken out to stop him taking Rozina Akhtar out of Britain to marry.
But despite his chilling threats he escaped imprisonment and was given community service. Last night campaigners condemned the sentence, saying it sent out the wrong message.
'There's clear evidence that this man threatened to kill his wife, so how can he be given community service?' said Shazia Qayum of Karma Nirvana, a group which helps victims of forced marriage.
'He should have been locked up. The law just isn't strong enough at the moment, and it's time the Government made forced marriage a criminal offence.'
Zeb, a former builder, set up a marriage between Rozina and his brother's son while visiting their native Pakistan when she was just 19.
After returning home to Blackburn, his daughter decided she did not want to go through with it.
His wife, Parveen Akhtar, stepped in, explaining she had been pushed into an unhappy marriage to Zeb 24 years ago and did not want their daughter to suffer the same fate.
But he insisted Rozina had no choice, saying she was 'dishonouring' the family, magistrates heard.
Using laws on forced marriage introduced last November, police secured one of Britain's first FMPOs against Zeb, 43.
He was ordered to forfeit his passport and barred from taking Rozina, now 23, to Pakistan.
But though he moved out of the family home after February's ruling, he continued stalking them, Blackburn magistrates were told.
He would wait for Parveen in his car outside the house to accuse her of having an affair - which she denied, said Catherine Allan, prosecuting.
The father of two also harassed his son, Nasir Khan, almost running him off the road and demanding he attack Parveen and Rozina.
In one conversation, Zeb said that if Nasir killed them he would 'only get five to seven years' in jail.
Then last month, he rang his wife and told her in a 'very chilling voice' she 'wouldn't dream of what I would do to you', threatening: 'I'm going to kill you and chop off your tongue.'
Miss Allan said: 'Parveen was under no doubts that he would kill her. He became more threatening and unpredictable towards her and the children, and made her life a misery.'
Zeb was arrested and pleaded guilty to harassing his wife, daughter and son.
But his solicitor, Basharat Ditta, denied he had tried to make Rozina marry against her will, insisting he had 'traditional Asian' values.
Zeb was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work, placed under a 12-month community supervision order and told to pay £85 costs.
Magistrates also imposed a restraining order barring him from contacting his family indefinitely.
Rozina and her mother remained too fearful to speak yesterday.
But Detective Inspector Claire Holbrook, of Lancashire Police, said: 'I hope this sends a very clear message that we will use everything in our power to protect victims who are in fear of being forced into a marriage.'
While arranged marriages are traditional in many cultures, forced marriage carrying the threat of intimidation or violence is outlawed by Muslim leaders. The system of orders was introduced after ministers dropped plans to make forcing someone to marry a crime. More than 70 have been imposed so far.
Breaching one is contempt of court and can carry a two-year jail term.
Read more: http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1228934/Muslim-father-staged-hate-campaign-daughter-arranged-marriage-given-lifetime-restraining-order.html#ixzz0XKXFTQLR
http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1228934/Muslim-father-staged-hate-campaign-daughter-arranged-marriage-given-lifetime-restraining-order.html
Spared jail, the forced marriage case father who told wife: 'I'll cut out your tongue'
By James Tozer
Last updated at 3:45 AM on 19th November 2009
A muslim who threatened to kill his wife and cut out her tongue after she blocked an arranged marriage for their daughter has been banned from seeing his family.
In the first prosecution of its kind, Aurang Zeb has been convicted of breaching a Forced Marriage Protection Order taken out to stop him taking Rozina Akhtar out of Britain to marry.
But despite his chilling threats he escaped imprisonment and was given community service. Last night campaigners condemned the sentence, saying it sent out the wrong message.
'There's clear evidence that this man threatened to kill his wife, so how can he be given community service?' said Shazia Qayum of Karma Nirvana, a group which helps victims of forced marriage.
'He should have been locked up. The law just isn't strong enough at the moment, and it's time the Government made forced marriage a criminal offence.'
Zeb, a former builder, set up a marriage between Rozina and his brother's son while visiting their native Pakistan when she was just 19.
After returning home to Blackburn, his daughter decided she did not want to go through with it.
His wife, Parveen Akhtar, stepped in, explaining she had been pushed into an unhappy marriage to Zeb 24 years ago and did not want their daughter to suffer the same fate.
But he insisted Rozina had no choice, saying she was 'dishonouring' the family, magistrates heard.
Using laws on forced marriage introduced last November, police secured one of Britain's first FMPOs against Zeb, 43.
He was ordered to forfeit his passport and barred from taking Rozina, now 23, to Pakistan.
But though he moved out of the family home after February's ruling, he continued stalking them, Blackburn magistrates were told.
He would wait for Parveen in his car outside the house to accuse her of having an affair - which she denied, said Catherine Allan, prosecuting.
The father of two also harassed his son, Nasir Khan, almost running him off the road and demanding he attack Parveen and Rozina.
In one conversation, Zeb said that if Nasir killed them he would 'only get five to seven years' in jail.
Then last month, he rang his wife and told her in a 'very chilling voice' she 'wouldn't dream of what I would do to you', threatening: 'I'm going to kill you and chop off your tongue.'
Miss Allan said: 'Parveen was under no doubts that he would kill her. He became more threatening and unpredictable towards her and the children, and made her life a misery.'
Zeb was arrested and pleaded guilty to harassing his wife, daughter and son.
But his solicitor, Basharat Ditta, denied he had tried to make Rozina marry against her will, insisting he had 'traditional Asian' values.
Zeb was ordered to do 200 hours unpaid work, placed under a 12-month community supervision order and told to pay £85 costs.
Magistrates also imposed a restraining order barring him from contacting his family indefinitely.
Rozina and her mother remained too fearful to speak yesterday.
But Detective Inspector Claire Holbrook, of Lancashire Police, said: 'I hope this sends a very clear message that we will use everything in our power to protect victims who are in fear of being forced into a marriage.'
While arranged marriages are traditional in many cultures, forced marriage carrying the threat of intimidation or violence is outlawed by Muslim leaders. The system of orders was introduced after ministers dropped plans to make forcing someone to marry a crime. More than 70 have been imposed so far.
Breaching one is contempt of court and can carry a two-year jail term.
Read more: http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/news/article-1228934/Muslim-father-staged-hate-campaign-daughter-arranged-marriage-given-lifetime-restraining-order.html#ixzz0XKXFTQLR
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