Alicia — whose identity is protected and therefore uses a pseudonym— was only 12 years old when she was married off, raped and thereafter became a mother. Now, her husband and rapist have reportedly been granted custody of their two children.

The girl, who comes from an immigrant family living in Gothenburg, Sweden, was made pregnant with twins by the man at the age of thirteen. After a ruling by the Stockholm District Court, the state has chosen to give the rapist custody.

Nightmare to childhood:

The story was first brought to the light by the Gothenburg Post (GP) in June 2017. Back then, Alicia, who has turned 23-years-old, chose to open up about her experiences and talk to social services.

When she turned seven, social services first contacted her family when her teachers noticed bruises under her veil. Alicia said her father had hit her. Nevertheless, the father denied this and when being questioned again, Alicia herself changed the story.

“I was quiet. As always. I did everything for my family. What girl would ever want to hurt her parents?”, Alicia said, according to GP.

Her teachers kept an eye on her, however, and noticed a major change. The girl once described as happy, positive and tough grew increasingly absent and sad.

The year was about 2006 when the real nightmare started. Alicia’s family brought her from her home in Gothenburg on a trip down to Iraq to be married away. She still remembers the night clearly of her wedding. She had to stand on a stool during the ceremony. He was about 25-years-old.

Alicia had to stand on a stool at the wedding in Iraq. (Illustration: Maria Kristofersson)

“I did not really understand what happened. I mostly walked around thinking of all the people and how beautiful everything was. I felt a little like the girl from Beauty and the Beast,” Alicia told GP.

“The worst came when all guests returned home and it became evening. He wanted us to sleep in the same bed. I said I wanted to sleep in my own bed. I was terrified,” she explained.

That night Alicia was severely raped by her ‘husband’.

First, she became pregnant and had a miscarriage. The thirteen-year-old pled for a divorce, but both her husband and parents refused.

In 2007 she once again was made pregnant. Realizing Sweden have better healthcare, her parents brought her home without her husband. In Gothenburg, the girl, who was still just a child, became a mother.

When the social services received the news that Alicia had been missing from school and had given birth, they started up a new investigation into the family.

The parents were prepared this time, though. Alicia had been raped by an unknown stranger during their vacation in Iraq, they told the social services, who subsequently ended the investigation claiming there was “no problems” in the family.

When the girl was 15 her family returned to Iraq.

“My husband demanded he should be given custody. He threatened my dad with sending the wedding photos to Swedish authorities if he did not get his will through,” she said. Fortunately, after a discussion in the family, they granted her a divorce, but also him custody of her children.

Alicia, as a female with a divorce behind her, became seen as a disgrace to the family. She was not allowed to go to school or go out alone. This remained unchanged until she received the news that she could marry one of her father’s friend’s sons. This marriage, too, ended in divorce.

“I am not going to be quiet any longer:”

In mid-2017, 23-year-old Alicia chose to speak out about her experiences. She had not been in contact with her family since she discarded her veil and was disowned. In coming out with her story she sought answers on why the social services did not do more and on if she can get in contact with her children again.

Sara Mohammad, who works for GAPF, an organization working to prevent honor violence, reacted strongly with disgust over the situation. (Photo: Stefan Berg)

“My whole body is shrieking:”

Now, as GP writes, about half a year later, Stockholm’s District Court has chosen to give the rapist ex-husband, who is seeking asylum in Sweden, the right of custody of their children under the pretext that they have spent most of their lives with him in Iraq.

In response to the decision, experts have called the ruling a “shame to Swedish authorities”, according to GP.

Juno Blom, a government expert at the county administrative board of Östergötland, said: “My whole body is shrieking. All of this girl’s life has been nothing more than a betrayal by our society. A little girl has been taken out of Sweden, married away, been raped and lost her children without the authorities acting. And now they put the last nail in the coffin by taking away her right to custody. I have never seen a case when so many wrongdoings have been done.”

“I have worked with this question for many years, but this case is the absolute sickest thing I’ve heard in my life. You don’t a college education in honor-related violence to understand that this is horribly wrong.”

Sara Mohammad, who works for GAPF, an organization working to prevent honor violence, reacted strongly: “I am truly upset. This girl has been a commodity in several people’s hands … You must use completely different glasses when examining honor violence, otherwise, we will sacrifice more lives completely legally. Our society has to take a stand. In my opinion are you not a suitable parent if you have married and had sex with a child.”