11-year-old girl abducted, raped and sold in Afghanistan

November 11, 2006

An 11-year old daughter of an Afghan widow was abducted, raped and then traded in exchange for a dog and a sum of cash by warlords in Aliabad district of Kondoz province in north of Afghanistan, the mother alleged.

The mother, while crying, told the Afghan women's association RAWA, "A month ago at 11 o'clock of night armed men entered my house and after beating and threatening me by gun, abducted my only daughter." She said that it was later found that her daughter had been raped and exchanged for a dog and a sum of money to another person. The girl's whereabouts are still unknown. She accused the district chief Malom Zafar Shah and the powerful warlord Commander Mehmood of being responsible for the crime.

The mother told journalists: "I approached [the] human rights office and police but none of them could help to find my daughter. The district chief himself has 4 daughters but he sold my daughters to others. With many difficulties and problems I grown up [sic] my 2 daughters, one was previously sold [by him] to a Kandahari man and taken to Pakistan and another was exchanged with a dog. Please bring them to justice."

Both Malom Zafar Shah and warlord Mehmood are from the "Northern Alliance" and members of Jamiat-e Islami Afghanistan led by Burhanuddin Rabbani (currently member of the Parliament). They have a long record of such crimes and brutalities against people of Kondoz. Malom Zafar has been appointed as district chief directly by Qasim Fahim the former defense minister and vice President and now member of Senate.

In an interview with Ariana TV, Malom Zafar rejected all charges against himself and Commander Mehmmod telling "no Jehadi brother is involved in such crimes."

Mohammad Zahir Zafari, chief of the human rights office in Kondoz says, they have tried since a month to find the child but the police are also unable to do anything as powerful people have links to the crime. He also revealed that his office was threatened a number of times to stop following the case.

Pajhwok Afghan News quoted Zahir Zafari on November 7, - "The only person responsible for the abduction of Sanobar is the warlord Mehmood, who exchanged the girl with a dog which he got from Nimatullah and then sold it for 150,000 Afghanis (US$3000)."

Such crimes happen on a daily basis in Kundoz and other parts of Afghanistan where warlords have established jungle law and have all the key positions in their possession.

Few such cases find their way to the media, with journalists fearful of the consequences of reporting on such incidents.