Background Knowledge

Amnesty International UK 2014, 'Women in Afghanistan: the back story', viewed

28/03/2015, < http://www.amnesty.org.uk/womens-rights-afghanistanhistory#.VTylTzuUcYc >
- Previous to the Taliban rule women in Afghanistan were provided with continuous

progression regarding womens rights however following the Taliban take over in 1996
womens rights were demolished and went backwards instead of forwards.
- Afghan women were first eligible to vote in 1919 - only a year after women in the UK
were given voting rights, and a year before the women in the United States were allowed
to vote.
- In the 1950s purdah (gendered separation) was abolished
- In the 1960s a new constitution brought equality to many areas of life, including political
participation
- The Taliban are a group which emerged in 1994 following years of conflict.
- The Taliban are well known for the brutal nature through disregarding human rights,
especially towards women.
- Their aim was to make Afghanistan an Islamic state
- The Taliban ruled in Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001
- The Taliban implemented their version of Islamic Sharia law. This involved harsh and
ruthless laws against women.
- Women were:
Banned from going to school or studying
Banned from working
Banned from leaving the house without a male chaperone
Banned from showing their skin in public
Banned from accessing healthcare delivered by men (with women forbidden from working,
healthcare was virtually inaccessible)
Banned from being involved in politics or speaking publicly.
- Women were prisoners of their home and could only leave the house if in a full body veil
(burqa) and accompanied by a male relative, thus she had no independence.
- Punishments for women who disobeyed these laws were extremely brutal; For example,
'They shot my father right in front of me. It was nine o'clock at night. They came to our
house and told him they had orders to kill him because he allowed me to go to school. The
Mujahideen had already stopped me from going to school, but that was not enough. I
cannot describe what they did to me after killing my father...'
A fifteen year-old girl in Kabul, 1995
- The Taliban's reign ended in 2001. Women were finally permitted to rerun to rework and

girls to school following years of invention from various nations. The implementation of

new laws aimed to see a slight development in equality ; In 2003 a new constitution was
created which included women's rights, and in 2009 Afghanistan chose to follow the
Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) law.
- However despite these small advances in womens rights much is still needed to be
done. Violence and discrimination is still a continuous occurrence for women in
Afghanistan, especially in areas where the Taliban and other extremist groups are in
power. Women and girls are still discriminated against, abused and persecuted.
- In 2011 Afghanistan was named 'the most dangerous country' to be a woman.
Amnesty International UK 2014, 'Honour killings in Afghanistan: Brishna's story',
viewed 30/03/2014, < http://www.amnesty.org.uk/honour-killings-afghanistanbrishnas-story#.VTy4ZTuUcYc >
Honour killings
- An honour kiling is the murder of a person who is accused of bringing shame on their
family. Majority of honour killings result in the death of women or gels even if they were
the victim and other men are at fault.
- Some reasons fro honour killings include talking to an unrelated male, rejecting a
marriage partner chosen by family members, committing or being accused of adultery,
becoming pregnant out of wedlock, not dressing conservatively enough and, being a
victim of rape.
- Honour killings are a serious problem in Afghanistan. More than 240 cases were
recorded between January 2011 and May 2013.
- Honour killings are currently not considered a criminal offence.
- In May 2014, 10-year-old Brishna was raped by Mullah Mohammad Amin. Soon after,
activists heard that male relatives had threatened to 'kill her and dump her in the river,
their reasons being, she brought shame upon the family.
Trust in Education 2015, 'Life as an Afghan woman', viewed 30/03/2015, <
http://www.trustineducation.org/resources/life-as-an-afghan-woman/ >
- Afghanistan is one of the most challenging places in the world to be a woman:
- Many women die in pregnancy and childbirth: 460 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)
- 85% of women have no formal education and are illiterate.
- Female 3rd level students as a % of Total: 18.0%
- Total live births per woman average of 6
- 1 out 10 children die before their fifth birthday.
- Life expectancy for women is 51

Difficulties faced by women in Afghanistan today:

- Womens legal standing is limited. According to Sharia law, a females testimony is worth
half that of a man. In custody cases, children will usually be awarded to the father or
grandfather.

- Few economic opportunities - women are forced to complete housework

- Hidden and isolated. Islamic extremists insist women and girls stay at home, and can
-

only leave if they are fully covered and accompanied by a male relative
Child marriage - More than 50% of Afghan girls are married or engaged by 12. Almost
60% of girls are married by 16. Women activists say up to 80 percent of marriages in
poor rural areas are either forced or arranged.
Lack of education: Only 40% of Afghan girls attend elementary school, and only one in
20 girls attend school beyond the sixth grade.
In February 2009 President Karzai signed a law which affects several key rights of
Afghan Shia women (20% of women):
Denies women the right to leave their homes except for legitimate purposes
Forbids women from working or receiving education without their husbands express
permission
Explicitly permits marital rape
Diminishes the right of mothers to be their childrens guardians in the event of a divorce
And makes it impossible for wives to inherit houses and land from their husbands even
though husbands may inherit immoveable property from their wives.

Improvement in Afghani society regarding women:

Girls education has improved. Since 2002, the number of girls attending school increased
by over 30 percent; however, an estimated 1.5 million school-age girls are still not enrolled
in classes.
Child marriage is more difficult. The Afghan government recently changed the legal age for
marriage for girls from 16 to 17
Women can be employed, but only if their male relatives permit it
Self-immolation (setting oneself on fire) has decreased from 350 cases per year in Herat
province to 70 cases per year after a government education campaign.
Women even have been appointed to prominent positions in the government.