The brutal gang-rape of a 55-year-old Tunisian woman with special needs is sending shockwaves across Tunisia and the Arab world.
According to Tunisia Online, the crime took place between October 19-20 and saw 3 men kidnap and rape the woman.
Speaking to the news site, an anonymous source said:
"The woman, who is unable to walk and uses a wheel chair, was taken to a remote location, then gang raped by the 3 young men."
"The victim's psychological state is extremely difficult, she was left shocked and traumatized by the incident," the source added.
Tunisian authorities have since arrested one of the perpetrators. However, the other two are still at large.
People are outraged
"God protect everyone from ignorance and regression."
"How could they do this to her?"
Many are calling for severe punishments
"Shame them and sentence them to life in prison."
Others were just left speechless
Earlier this year, Tunisia passed laws aimed at eliminating violence against women
Earlier in July, Tunisia >amended several laws governing women's rights in the country.
Following a unanimous vote, the 'Law on Eliminating Violence Against Women' was passed, including elements that are "essential to prevent violence against women, protect domestic violence survivors, and prosecute abusers," Human Rights Watch wrote at the time.
Up until the new law was passed, the country lacked specific legislation tackling violence against women.
Set to fully take effect next year, the latest legislation >criminalizes sexual harassment in public spaces, bans the employment of children as domestic workers, and scraps the controversial article that allowed rapists to escape punishment by marrying their victims.
Previously, it was permissible for rapists to marry their victims
In 2016, Tunisia was in the spotlight after a TV host >ordered that Hajar, a girl who was sexually abused by three different members of her family since she was 14-years-old, marry her rapist.
Appearing on Tunisian talk show Andi Mankolek >(I’ve Got Something to Tell You), Chebbi chastised Hajar for getting pregnant out of wedlock and advised her to “marry” her rapist as the solution.
Now, while Tunisia is actually considered one of the few Arab countries to impose the death penalty on rapists before the new law passed, those convicted of rape crimes could still escape punishment if they married their victims.
Under the new legislation, that is no longer a possibility in Tunisia.
It is also no longer a possibility in several other Arab countries which >passed similar legislation, including Jordan, Egypt, Morocco and most recently >Lebanon.