Rape in Afghanistan

Rape is a major issue in Afghanistan. A number of human rights organizations have criticized the country's rape laws and their enforcement.

Prevalence

Rape in Afghanistan is largely under-reported.[1][2]

In many cases, the victim is punished. Women are respected for their virginity, and it is rare for a man to marry a rape victim. Even if the women gets pregnant, it is uncommon for the rapist to marry her.[3] Thus a women is now punished for being "impure". The authorities treat such cases as adultery. Even if the woman is not punished, she remains rejected by society as "dishonorable" (badnaam in Pashto), while the rapist is not considered dishonored.[3] Sometimes the national courts are ignored in favour of tribal courts.[4]

Law

In March 2009, the British newspaper The Independent reported that "Afghan President Hamid Karzai [had] signed the new Family Law, which women’s groups believe will essentially legalize rape".[5] The law faced criticism from many sources across the world.[6]

Security forces

Police as well as civilians have been accused of rape in Afghanistan,[4] and female officers have faced rape by their colleagues.[7] The United States military has also been accused of rape in Afghanistan.[8]

Reactions

In 2013, Fereshta Kazemi played the leading role in The Icy Sun, one of the first films to deal openly with rape in Afghanistan. NBC News said that her "film breaks new ground for Afghanistan, where victims of rape can be forced to marry their attackers to preserve their families' honor".[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Canada report highlights Afghan rape, immolation | Reuters". Ca.reuters.com. 2010-01-08. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  2. ↑ "Where Global Solutions Are Shaped For You | News & Media | Afghanistan: Un Report Finds Mixed Results In Implementation Of Law On Elimination Of Violence Against Women This Past Year". Unog.ch. Retrieved 2014-03-11.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Noorjahan Akbar (2013-07-26). "No Justice for Rape Victims in Afghanistan | UN DispatchUN Dispatch". Undispatch.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Police accused in Afghan rape - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  5. ↑ "Afghan President Hamid Karzai signs a law that 'legalizes' rape.". ThinkProgress. 2009-03-31. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  6. ↑ "Afghan President Backtracks on Law Legalizing Rape in Marriage". Fox News. 2009-04-04. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  7. ↑ Ralph, Talia. "Afghanistan’s female cops face rape, abuse from their colleagues « RAWA News". Rawa.org. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  8. ↑ "US Special Forces Accused of Raping Afghan Women During Raid « RAWA News". Rawa.org. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  9. ↑ Clark, Mandy. "Ultimate taboo: Actress takes on rape in Afghanistan". NBC News. Retrieved 25 February 2013.

External links