Yes Yes Yes We sure as hell Liberated the women of Afganistan
Afghanistan – abduction and rape
25 November, 2004
UA_2004-11-25_afghanistan
“The first thing they do is rape the girl to stop her family seeking justice… When a girl loses her virginity she has no value. Usually, when families find that their girls have been raped by gunmen, they themselves ask them to marry their daughters… The Nijrab district is under the control of gunmen who kill people and rape and abduct the girls. No one stops them.”
Seventeen-year-old Zarmina (not her real name) was abducted by three armed men from her aunt’s home in Kapisa province in May 2004. Her uncle was shot and wounded as he tried to stop the men. Zarmina was returned to her parents in Kabul after they filed a complaint with the authorities, police, courts and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. She said she had refused to marry one of the gunmen, and fears they could track her down in Kabul.
The culture of the gun is deeply embedded in Afghanistan. Women and girls are at risk of abduction, sexual violence and intimidation as lawlessness spirals. Despite the ending of 23 years of confl ict, a glut of weaponry remains in the hands of civilians, including ex-combatants.
Rape, forced marriage and the trafficking of women and children are rife. The transitional government in Afghanistan has failed to provide security or to impose its rule throughout the country. Private armies and armed groups pose a constant threat. Powerful warlords and officials with a record of human rights violations flaunt their impunity with further abuses.
Armed factions wield authority over provincial leaders and their security forces.
The government’s pledges to protect women’s rights have proved empty promises. As security deteriorates in the south and east, international aid workers cannot reach women in need of support. Rape and sexual assault continue to be used to subjugate women and dishonour their communities. In some regions, women feel that the insecurity and the risk of sexual violence is greater than under Taleban rule.
The survivors of sexual violence often do not speak out. They face the very real danger of being killed by relatives for being seen as dishonouring the family or for “immoral” behaviour. Most never receive justice for the crimes against them. Informal justice systems discriminate against women. Traditional councils of men, sitting as courts, frequently agree an exchange of girls in settlement of family or tribal feuds. Very young girls are sometimes married off to much older men.
No figures exist for the number of women abducted, raped or killed by armed groups, but the threat alone limits women’s rights and freedoms. The lack of security for girls and women is cited by their male relatives as grounds for denying them access to education and jobs.Without the disarmament of armed groups and former combatants, the authorities leave women on their own to face the violence. However, despite threats against them by traditionalists, women in Afghanistan are joining forces to assert their rights and claim new freedoms. The government and the international community must ensure their voices are heard.
http://www.amnesty.org.au/whats_happening/stop_violence_against_women/article?cid=20&pid=661
Afghanistan – abduction and rape
25 November, 2004
UA_2004-11-25_afghanistan
“The first thing they do is rape the girl to stop her family seeking justice… When a girl loses her virginity she has no value. Usually, when families find that their girls have been raped by gunmen, they themselves ask them to marry their daughters… The Nijrab district is under the control of gunmen who kill people and rape and abduct the girls. No one stops them.”
Seventeen-year-old Zarmina (not her real name) was abducted by three armed men from her aunt’s home in Kapisa province in May 2004. Her uncle was shot and wounded as he tried to stop the men. Zarmina was returned to her parents in Kabul after they filed a complaint with the authorities, police, courts and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission. She said she had refused to marry one of the gunmen, and fears they could track her down in Kabul.
The culture of the gun is deeply embedded in Afghanistan. Women and girls are at risk of abduction, sexual violence and intimidation as lawlessness spirals. Despite the ending of 23 years of confl ict, a glut of weaponry remains in the hands of civilians, including ex-combatants.
Rape, forced marriage and the trafficking of women and children are rife. The transitional government in Afghanistan has failed to provide security or to impose its rule throughout the country. Private armies and armed groups pose a constant threat. Powerful warlords and officials with a record of human rights violations flaunt their impunity with further abuses.
Armed factions wield authority over provincial leaders and their security forces.
The government’s pledges to protect women’s rights have proved empty promises. As security deteriorates in the south and east, international aid workers cannot reach women in need of support. Rape and sexual assault continue to be used to subjugate women and dishonour their communities. In some regions, women feel that the insecurity and the risk of sexual violence is greater than under Taleban rule.
The survivors of sexual violence often do not speak out. They face the very real danger of being killed by relatives for being seen as dishonouring the family or for “immoral” behaviour. Most never receive justice for the crimes against them. Informal justice systems discriminate against women. Traditional councils of men, sitting as courts, frequently agree an exchange of girls in settlement of family or tribal feuds. Very young girls are sometimes married off to much older men.
No figures exist for the number of women abducted, raped or killed by armed groups, but the threat alone limits women’s rights and freedoms. The lack of security for girls and women is cited by their male relatives as grounds for denying them access to education and jobs.Without the disarmament of armed groups and former combatants, the authorities leave women on their own to face the violence. However, despite threats against them by traditionalists, women in Afghanistan are joining forces to assert their rights and claim new freedoms. The government and the international community must ensure their voices are heard.
http://www.amnesty.org.au/whats_happening/stop_violence_against_women/article?cid=20&pid=661
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 12:50 AM
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