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You’re probably thinking:

Come on, it’s 2013, stoning can’t still be an issue.

Unfortunately, stoning is still a very widely popular form of punishment in fifteen different countries. Though, the punishment is said to be meant for men and women, these countries primarily practice this punishment on the women.

Here in the U.S., we deal with adultery by the way of divorce; other countries deem it a crime punishable by a cruel and devastating death. Women, accused of adultery, are buried up to their shoulders or necks, while prominent men from the town line up and bludgeon them to death with stones.

Though many of these countries do not offer this form of punishment as a federally sanctioned resolution, many towns and cities within support it, with little word from authorities. To make matters worse, there is no trial or proof needed; only the word of a higher official and the sentence is carried out.

For example, in 2008, Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow, a 13 year old girl, was stoned to death after being charged with adultery. What really happened makes this example even more horrific. Aisha was actually raped by three older men and attempted to report it to the Al-Shabaab militia, who had control over the Somalia city. However, before she was able to, her father reported the rape to local officials and Aisha was buried to her neck outside of a stadium, and stoned to death by 50 men, while over a thousand people stood by a watched.

Personal status, poverty levels, and marital status play huge roles in these convictions. It does not matter whether you committed the offense or not; if you are poor, you stand little chance against accumulating this sentence. Many countries try to offer federal refuge, making stoning an illegal act. However, regional laws are enacted, allowing this inhumane torture possible.

This form of punishment is an outrage and continues to be fought by both citizens inside these countries, and organizations all over the world. These types of incidences are what continue to hold women back from equal and fair treatment, all over the world.

Edited/Published by: SB