Extraordinary events have taken place inside a Kabul courtroom this week. Back in May, a 10-year-old girl was raped inside a mosque in a remote Afghan village. The mullah responsible – Mohammad Amin – had asked three young girls to clean for him when he started behaving inappropriately. The girls made a run for it, only one of them tripped and fell in a stream. Amin dragged her back inside the mosque, where she was raped and left with serious injuries.

According to Sharia Law, which the Mullah tried to rely on in court, rape is considered a form of adultery for which both parties are responsible. Amin's defence lawyers argued that he should be sentenced to 100 lashes and then released – but that would have meant the girl also receiving the same punishment.

However, Judge Mohammad Suliman Rasuli slammed Amin's defence, pointing out that the victim "cannot commit adultery; she is a child. This is rape." Instead, the judge sentenced Amin to 20 years in prison.

Human rights campaigners have welcomed the judge's stance on the case, especially after reports came to light alleging that the girl's family had considered killing her because of the shame that had been brought upon the family. This practice – known as an 'honour killing' – is relatively common against rape victims in Afghanistan, where rape was not even a crime until a landmark law was brought in to eliminate violence against women and girls in 2009.

The girl's life was saved after the group Women for Afghan Women stepped in and urged the family to support their daughter. They sheltered the girl and paid for her family's travel expenses to attend the trial in Kabul.

During the trial, the girl kept her face covered but wept uncontrollably as the prosecutor read out the Mullah's confession and the report detailing her injuries. However, at the point where Amin tried to claim she had seduced him, she pulled aside her veil and spoke to him directly: "Hey liar, hey liar," she said. "God hate you, you are dirt, you are dirt, you are a vampire."

The girl, who was not called upon to speak, insisted she be heard, and also said, "You shamed me, liar, you destroyed my life, you brought shame to my father." Addressing the judge, she said, "Please, director, hang him."

However, it has been reported that after the trial, the girl's father did not look at or speak to his daughter. The girl reportedly tried to follow her father after he turned his back and walked out of the courtroom but she stopped when she saw that he was not going to speak to her. Heartbreakingly, she just gazed at him until his back was gone.

Sumbernya

Bold merah: ternyata pemerkosaan adalah hal yang umum dan bukan dianggap kejahatan