Rape victims fear being jailed in the African Muslim nation of Mauritania

There is no law in Mauritania that defines rape. According to a local U.N.-funded group working with the victims, the law criminalizes the women instead of their rapists - and society ostracizes the women. Mauritanian laws are based on Sharia law and the penal code forbids relationships between both sexes outside marriage. That includes a consensual relationship between a boyfriend and girlfriend but can also criminalize a woman who is forced to have sex. Sidi Athman Ould Sidi Salem, a law specialist and legal adviser to the government, said: "If raped women don't bring strong evidence, which is not easy, they would be accused of Zina - an Arabic word meaning sex out of marriage - and end up in jail. It's because the victims of rape are always accused of a Zina which make a lot of problems."