WUNRN
Many Afghan girls have returned to school since the fall of the Taliban -- but old attitudes persist about women's roles.
July 20, 2009
By
In
A bill on
"eliminating violence against women" that has been in the works for
years is taking final shape, and is expected to be among the first pieces of
legislation discussed once Afghan parliamentarians return this week from summer
recess.
The bill
criminalizes discrimination against women and envisages various punishments --
from financial fines to prison terms -- for those found guilty of violating
women's rights.
Women's
rights activists in
The overall
situation of women and girls in
Fateh
Muhammad, a former mujahedin turned farmer in northern
"Only a
couple of years ago, it was beyond our imagination to accept a woman as a politician,
for instance, but now we go and vote for a female candidate and it’s completely
normal," Muhammad said.
"In our
area, Mazar-i-Sharif, no one gets in the way of their children's education --
no matter if their child is a girl or a boy,” said the former mujahed, whose
teenage daughter attends a nearby high school. “Younger girls don't cover their
heads. After coming of age, girls cover their heads according to Islamic
requirements, but they still continue their education. No one stops them from
going to school."
Women ‘Not Valued’
But the
situation in Afghanistan's relatively safe and less conservative north is not
reflected everywhere in the country.
"Silence
Is Violence," a report issued earlier this month by the UN High
Commissioner on Human Rights and the UN's Assistance Mission in
"Women
participating in public life face threats, harassment, and attacks,"
sending "a strong message to all women to stay at home," the report
warns. This "has obvious ramifications for the transformation of
In
More than 50
percent of Afghan girls marry before the legal age of 16, and most marriages
are arranged by relatives. Afghan women are often victims of domestic violence,
and some families even marry off their underage daughters to settle debts or
disputes.
Asadullah, a
50-year-old resident of southern
"Those
who have prepared the bill have completely ignored
"It
would be very difficult to implement this kind of law in our society,”
Asadullah continued. “It is unlikely that families would allow their daughters
to discuss their problems with government officials, or let the government
interfere in solving their problems. All issues are discussed inside the house
by the parents."
Shukria
Barakzai, a member of the Afghan parliament and a women's rights activist,
agrees that implementing the bill, which is expected to be signed by President
Hamid Karzai once it makes its way through parliament, will be a serious
challenge.
"Surely,
at this point this law cannot be put into practice, even in
“At the same
time, we have to work on raising people's awareness about their rights,"
she said.
Barakzai says
the government, rights activists, and intellectuals must work to break old
taboos and change perceptions about women's roles and rights.
"The
Afghan people, too, step by step, have to learn and accept a new approach to
women's position in society," she said.
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