Mukhtaran Bibi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mukhtaran Bibi (c. 1972 - ) is a Pakistani woman from the small and impoverished village of Meerwala, located in the rural tehsil (county) of Jatoi in the Muzaffargarh District of Pakistan.

Also known as Mukhtar Mai, Mukhtiar or just Mukhtaran, she was allegedly raped on the demands of tribesmen — or by some accounts, on the orders of a panchayat (tribal council) — of a local clan known as the Mastoi. The Mastoi clan reportedly had bitter disputes with Mukhtaran's clan, the Tatla.

After the conviction of her attackers, Mukhtaran became a symbol for advocates for the health and security of women in her region, attracting both national and international attention to these issues. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf awarded Mukhtaran a financial settlement of Rs.500,000 (about US$8000) which she used to build two local schools, one for girls and another for boys. Some Western donors have also come forward with contributions.

There is a great deal of variance in the news accounts of the rape incident. The account that follows is therefore based on the testimonies of witnesses in the court that sentenced Mukhtaran's rapists to death, supplemented with details from the text of the Lahore High Court judgment.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukhtar_Mai