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Report Shows Continued Violence and Discrimination
Against Afghan Women
April 17, 2006 -(Feminist Daily News Wire) A new report on the current
status of Afghan women and girls issued by the Afghan Independent
Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) demonstrates that Afghan women and
girls continue to face extreme obstacles and discrimination as they
seek to exercise their rights. The “Evaluation Report on General
Situation of Women in Afghanistan” states that despite the Afghan
government’s constitutional obligation to “observe and
respect women’s rights” and the numerous human rights
treaties Afghanistan has signed, women face many problems in all aspects
of their lives.
The report cites the practice of forced marriage as one of the “main
causes of women’s rights violations” throughout the country.
Shockingly, an AIHRC survey found that more than 38 percent of women
were “wedded off against their will and consent.” Another
appalling indication of the dire situation of Afghan women is the
finding that more than 50 percent have been subjected to domestic
violence. In addition to the physical and mental effects, the AIHRC
stated in the report that domestic violence in Afghanistan frequently
is the cause of suicide, self-immolation, forced prostitution and
addiction to narcotics. Despite the magnitude of the problem, according
to the report, “no serious action” has been taken to deal
with domestic violence, and the problem is exacerbated by the fact
that the law is not clear in this area and the civil code and the
constitution are inconsistent on the issue.
Among the many inequities outlined in the report is a major disparity
in the numbers of girls and boys attending school. The researchers
report that more than twice the number of boys than girls attend schools.
In the Zabul region, girls make up only 3 percent of the school population,
even though there is little difference in the numbers of school-aged
girls and boys in the area. Lack of security was cited as a primary
reason why girls do not attend school in Zabul, which is in southern
Afghanistan. The United Nations has reported that most of the 300
schools set on fire this year were in southern Afghanistan, according
to the AIHRC. In addition to the lack of security, reasons given for
the low number of girls attending schools included: “widespread
gender discrimination in society’s customary practices; family
poverty; and lack or shortages of female schools.”
The AIHRC has included comprehensive recommendations to address the
severe problems outlined in their report, including a focus on gender
in all government actions and that the government “struggle
against improper tradition aiming at ensuring of women’s rights
and ensuring of family well-being through legislation, provincial
councils and religious scholars.”
From: http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=9619
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