Discrimination Against Women in Afghanistan - Essay Example

Womens rights in Afghanistan Introduction: The rights of women in some parts of the world are an issue of concern. One of the countries in which women remain subjugated is Afghanistan. Under the Taliban regime the women in Afghanistan faced a harrying time with the denial of most of their basic rights. The fall of the Taliban regime in early 2002 raised hopes that the rights of women in Afghanistan would be given its due recognition with the pledges of the new government to take the necessary action in improving the deplorable women’s rights situation in the country. However, the reports emanating from the country suggest that women continue to be discriminated against and face violence in their daily activities in Afghanistan (1). Discrimination against Women in Afghanistan: During the regime of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the discrimination against women was considered to be significant which included women being denied the right from going to work outside of their homes; restricted access to medical services; faced a brutally enforced restrictive dress code; denied access to education; and required to be accompanied by a male family member every time they left home. (2). The fall of the Taliban regime was expected to usher in a change to this discrimination against women, and the new Afghan constitution through its recognition of the equal rights and duties of men and women in the eyes of the law gave hope for such a change in the situation. (3). This is reflected in the Afghan women’s rights groups acknowledging that women in Afghanistan currently experience more rights than they did under the Taliban regime (1). There has also been a semblance of return of women’s rights in their being allowed to take up work outside of home, the lack of enforcement in the use of the all covering burqa by the government, and the appointment of women to some prominent positions in the government. However the issue is whether this improved situation has percolated to all segments of society and in all regions of the country. Reports indicate that this semblance of the return of women’s rights is a feature of urban areas only and that in the rural areas the plight of women remains as it was earlier, for in the rural areas women continued to be restricted from participating in public life, forced into marriage and denied the right to even basic education. (3). The Afghan rights groups also claim that the variety of rights that have been that have been restored by the current regime remain more on paper than in actual practice, where these rights are ignored. (1). Examination of the data on the continuing discrimination against women in Afghanistan suggests that claim of the Afghan rights groups is true. This data includes that an Afghan women dies every thirty minutes during childbirth; eighty-seven percent of the Afghan women continue to remain illiterate; only thirty percent of girls in Afghanistan have access to basic education; one out of every three women in Afghanistan experience physical, psychological or sexual violence in Afghanistan; Afghan women have a low life expectancy of forty-four years; and between seventy to eighty percent of women in Afghanistan are forced into marriage. (3). The continued discrimination of women in Afghanistan in spite of the improved rights provided by them in the Constitution and the current regime is an issue of concern for it reflects a malaise in the societal norms, which the government is unable and unwilling to curtail. "Societal codes, invoked in the name of tradition and religion, are used as justification for denying women the ability to enjoy their fundamental rights," according to Amnesty International. (4). The strength of societal norms and the ineffectiveness of the government in controlling it that has hindered the progress of women’s rights in Afghanistan is reflected in the words of the Dr. Soraya Rahim, deputy minister of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Women’s Affairs that “A countrys tradition is stronger than its constitution; we cannot change it very quickly. Its very difficult, and we must go carefully step by step." (5). Societal attitudes against the rights of women remain very strong in Afghanistan even years after the passing of the Taliban regime, and can be seen from the recent conviction to death of a young male student of journalism for downloading a report from the Internet that spoke of the misrepresentation of Prophet Mohamed’s views in the oppression of women. (6). Discrimination in Education: It is an accepted fact that for the improved life standards of women in any society, education is a key factor. Yet, in Afghanistan more than eighty-five percent of the women and girls remain illiterate. The number of girls attending school is less than half the number of boys in Afghanistan, with some regions like Zabul demonstrating a dismal ratio of girls to boys attending school at three percent to ninety-seven percent. In spite of this the state allocated budget fund for education and support to female education remains at a pathetically low level. As a result the number of high schools available for female educations remains very low in comparison to the number of elementary schools. For example, in the central region of Afghanistan there are a mere twenty-seven high schools for female education in comparison to the two hundred and fifty-six elementary schools, reflecting the inability or the unwillingness of girls to take up higher education. The main factors that have led to poor state of education levels in women and girls in Afghanistan are the widespread discrimination against the female gender as a part of social practices, poverty of the family, security issues, lack or shortage of female schools, and the lack of government support for female education (7). Health: One of the fundamental rights for all individuals is the access to health and health services. In Afghanistan there is only one doctor and five nurses available for every 100,000 of the population and one bed for every 300 individuals. Access to health for all is a critical issue for all in Afghanistan, but more so for the women that has resulted in Afghanistan having one of the highest mother and child mortality rates in the world. The lack of health service facilities is a contributory factor, but the more important factors of lack of self-sufficiency, lack women participation in affairs that concern them, the poor attention paid to the health issues of women by their families, and domestic violence against emanates from the prevalent patriarchy social system in Afghanistan and contribute to the discrimination against women in access to health and health services. (7). Violence against Women: One of the most vexing issues in the discrimination against women in Afghanistan is the continuing violence against women, in spite of the demise of the Taliban government. The violence against women includes the serious and complex problems of forced marriages, family violence, sexual harassments and prevention of women from participating in social and political activities, which is witnessed in the rural and urban areas. (7) The violence against women is feature that occurs outside the home and at home. The lack of security makes women seek the safety of home, but at home they face the threat of domestic violence. in domestic violence the beating of the wife by the husband is a common practice. Women suffering domestic violence hardly get any support from their family members or the law and order authorities. This has led to more and more women attempting suicides, leading to increased suicide rate mortality or disfigurement in the case of the survivors. (1). Another major issue is the practice of forced marriages in Afghanistan. Poverty and the cultural practices come to the aid of this feature of discrimination against women in Afghanistan, which is a contributory factor to domestic violence. Parents marry their girl children off to wealthier and older men to, even when they are under aged to stave off their poverty. Family disputes are also resolved through forced marriages of the daughters, where these young girls face the risk of ill treatment. IN Afghanistan about fifty-seven percent of girls are married before the legally valid age of sixteen years and approximately sixty to eighty percent of marriages are forced marriages. (1). Conclusion: The demise of the Taliban in 2002 brought hopes that the discrimination against women Afghanistan would reduce and more importance given to the rights of the women. Six years have elapsed and yet the promise of improved women’s rights remains only on paper and not in practice in most parts of the country. Strong societal norms that exist in the name of religion and tradition and the incapacity of the government to work in support of the rights of women are the main reasons for the continued denial of rights to women in Afghanistan. Overcoming the factor societal norms and the lethargy of the government to act are the challenges that need to be met, for the women to experience their rights in Afghanistan. Works Cited 1. “Afghan women suffer daily violence”. BBC NEWS. 2006. 17 Feb. 2008. . 2. Palmer, Lee. “Womens Rights in Afghanistan and Beyond”. 2002. U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE. 17 Feb. 2008. . 3. Qazi, Abdullah. “The Plight of the Afghan Woman”. 2008. Afghanistan Online. 17 Feb. 2008. . 4. Esfandiari, Golnaz. “Afghanistan: Amnesty International Says Afghan Women Still Facing Abuse”. 2005. RadioFreeEuropeRadioLiberty. 17 Feb. 2008. . 5. Clapman, Leah. “WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN”. 2003. OnlineNewsHour. 17 Feb. 2008. . 6. Sengupta, Kim. “Sentenced to death: Afghan who dared to read about womens rights”. 2008. THE INDEPENDENT. 17 Feb. 2008. . 7. “Evaluation report on General Situation of Women in Afghanistan”. Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. 17 Feb. 2008. . Read More