==========
NCADC News Service
==========
Afghanistan: Women still under attack -- systematic failure to protect
Amnesty International Monday 30th May 2005
http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGASA110082005
Violence against women and girls in Afghanistan is pervasive, said Amnesty
International today launching its latest report "Afghanistan: Women under
attack".
"Throughout the country, few women are exempt from violence or safe from the
threat of it," states the report.
Daily, Afghan women are at risk of abduction and rape by armed individuals,
forced marriage and being traded in settlement of disputes and debts. They face
discrimination from all segments of society as well as by state
officials.Violence against women is widely accepted by the community and
inadequately addressed at the highest levels of the government and the
judiciary. Investigations by the authorities into complaints of violent attacks,
rape, murders or suicide of women are neither routine nor systematic, and few
result in prosecutions.
"Societal codes, invoked in the name of tradition and religion, are used as
justification for denying women the ability to enjoy their fundamental rights.
Perceived transgressions of such codes have led to the imprisonment and even
killing of some women. Some authorities treat women who run away to escape these
situations as criminals and imprison them." said Amnesty International.
Afghanistan is in the process of reconstruction after many years of conflict,
but hundreds of women and girls continue to suffer abuse at the hands of their
husbands, fathers, brothers, armed individuals, parallel justice systems, and
institutions of the state itself such as the police and the justice system.
There are reported increases in forced marriages and some women have killed
themselves to escape, including by self immolation.
"Husbands, brothers and fathers remain the main perpetrators of violence in the
home but the social control and the power that they exercise is reinforced by
both state authorities and informal justice systems" Amnesty International
emphasized.
"We stress that the Afghan authorities have a duty to refrain from committing
violations of human rights and to protect women from violence committed not only
agents of the state but also by private individuals and groups. Reform of the
criminal justice system is integral to the protection of all Afghan women and it
is the responsibility of the state to provide legal safeguards.
Under international human rights standards, Afghanistan must exercise due
diligence to secure women's rights, including the rights to equality, life,
liberty and security, as well as freedom from discrimination, torture and
cruel,inhuman and degrading treatment.
Amnesty International's report highlights the
failure of the Afghan authorities to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of
women and girls. It stresses that state must accept responsibility and ensure
that the right to live free from violence is fully realized for women and men in
Afghanistan.
The organization calls on the Afghan government -- as an essential minimum
towards ending the patterns of discrimination and violence in the country -- to,
among others steps:
* publically and unequivocally condemn all violence against women and girls including that occurring in the family and through decisions by informal systems and perpetrated by agents of the state;
* continue to strengthen the reform of the criminal justice system including comprehensive training of the judiciary and police in order to raise standards which promote and protect the rights if women;
* not invoke any custom, tradition or religious consideration to avoid their obligations to eliminate violence against women;
* modify or abolish existing laws (such as the Penal Code), regulations, customs and practices which constitute discrimination against women in family matters or which permit such discrimination to exist.
The organization simultaneously calls on the international donor community to encourage and support the Afghan government in ending crimes against women through sustained commitment to rebuilding Afghanistan in ways that enable women and girls to realize their rights.
End of Bulletin:
Source for this Message:
Amnesty International Monday 30th May 2005
http://news.amnesty.org/index/ENGASA110082005
--
Disclaimer:
NCADC's email bulletins are an important part of our work in educating the public on immigration, asylum and anti-deportation issues. As part of that work our bulletins hosts news and views from different individuals, organisations and campaigns working in the same field as us.
The
contents of this bulletin
are the sole responsibility of the author/s and should not be taken as
endorsement of any kind.
NCADC takes no responsibility for the content of external websites linked from our bulletins and links should not be taken as endorsement of any kind.
NCADC reserves the right to omit or edit the whole or any part of material submitted for publication.
Viruses: Although NCADC take great care in scanning all emails and attachments with the latest Anti-viirus software before sending. It is no guarantee that the message is uninfected. We advise all recipients of our messages that they should have the latest Anti-virus software installed.
NCADC cannot accept liability for any damage your system sustains due to software viruses.
To remove your address from this mailing list return a blank message to:
unsubscribe@ncadc.org.uk
and in the subject line put: Remove
=========================
National Coalition of
Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC)
1 Delaunays Road
Manchester
M8 4QS
General enquiries 0121 554 6947
ncadc@ncadc.org.uk
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/
=========================