Afghan women victims of 'widespread' rape

Afghan women victims of 'widespread' rape: UN  AFPJULY 8, 2009  
  A burka-clad Afghan woman carries her child as she walks in the old city of Kabul on July 6, 2009.Photograph by: Shah Marai, AFP/Getty Images

GENEVA – Rape in Afghanistan is "widespread" and violence against women serving in public life is on the rise, a UN report said Wednesday, nearly eight years after the fall of the Taliban.

The 32-page report denounces an institutional failure to curb violence against women and a culture of impunity that leaves such crimes unpunished.

"The limited space that opened up for Afghan women following the demise of the Taliban regime in 2001 is under sustained attack, not just by the Taliban themselves, but by deeply engrained cultural practices and customs," said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay.

Pillay also denounced "a chronic failure at all levels of government to advance the protection of women's rights in Afghanistan" despite "significant advances" in the creation of new legislation and institutions.

The report, issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned of a "growing trend" of violence and threats against women in public life.

"Violence, in the public and private spheres, is an everyday occurrence in the lives of a huge proportion of Afghan women," the report said.

"Parliamentarians, provincial council members, civil servants, journalists, women working for international organisations . . . have been targeted by anti-government elements, by local traditional and religious power-holders, by their own families and communities, and in some instances by government authorities," it said.

Preliminary data "suggests that rape is a widespread occurrence in all parts of Afghanistan and in all communities, and all social groups," it said.

Victims seeking help and justice are often further victimised by the culture of impunity, while police and prosecutors are often unaware or unconvinced that rape is a serious crime, the report said.

Women are also the victims of so-called "honour" killings, trafficking and abduction, as well as early and forced marriages and domestic violence, it said. Girls and women are exchanged to resolve disputes over land and property.

The report also documents numerous attacks on girls' schools and students who are assaulted with gas and acid by "anti-government elements."

"Developments such as these threaten to have a devastating long-term impact on the involvement of women in Afghan society," Pillay said.

"There have been some encouraging incremental advances in the area of girls education in recent years, and it is extremely important to have women participating in the country's political arena," she said.

"But the Taliban and other conservative forces seem determined to take the country back to the stone age."

If US soilder or any other does it then the people above would have expressed out rage, 

Now since Taliban has done this, they don't have comments. 

Now since Taliban has done this, they don't have comments.

there will only be denials, accusations of lies, and moral equivalency.  

you are very far to know what really happened…

You speak as if you were there when it happened. 

java, do you know what effects can war bring to the occupied contry?

I know perfectly well the effects of Occupation, I also perfectly know the effects of Talibanization.  

There is nothing for you to worry if Taliban is in control of Afghanistan or not since you sit in FREE FRANCE. But we do.

Most of the wepons of terrorists in kashmir used to come from Afghanistan. Militancy was on a raise from 1990 to 2001, After that there is a sharp decline. 

Buses Gifted by Indian Govt was blown up by Talibs, People invloved in Road building have been kidnaped and beheaded(again based of religon) 

you can check this site and read what an Afghan woman says on her country 

I wouldn't claim that US soliders won't do attrocities.  

But why not use the same standards? 

the US forces brings freedom and peace wherever it goes!!!!

it's awful  and it happens all over the world where ignorance and violence  are  the masters. it seem ,it's not the right time to get rid of these miseries since most people just have the strength to accuse others.finding solutions is so hard!it needs that we should find our mistakes first,but creating conflicts is a funny art!

ALL THAT HAPPENED COZ ISLAM BECOME OUT OF CONTROL, LIKE THE DRUGS NOW COVERED THE WORLD COME FROM AFGANISTAN, .....AT THE AGE OF TALIBAN THE DRUGS BECOME NEAR ZERO, AND WEST THEMSELF ADMIT THAT, .....AND FAVOUR RETURN TO AMERICA NOW AND ITS SOLIDEIRS WHO SOPIL EVERY WHERE,
AND THE TRAIL COURT FOR THE AMERICAN SOLIOEDEDRS FOR THEIR KILLING THE GIRL AND HER FAMILY">RAPE IN IRAQ DOSEN'T BECOME COLD YET…
OR U R IGNORANTS OF WHAT HAPPENED OR MAKE URSELF IDIOTS KNOW NOTHING?
REALLY AS MATRIX SAID :"He kills the victim and walks in his funeral."
DOUBLESTANRD OF SO CALLED CIVILZED WORLD

When you have a car…you will know all the components is surely soo soo very important…and after all its being put into their exact places…and after the engine been switched on…the most important of all is about how you drive it,how you handle it…What i really mean also is..how our brain is work, coz religion is just a place to hang on,to administrate,to equalise and to naturalise the bad thinking of mind… and why some of us is still doing the bad things??Coz the inner strength and the hang on to the religion is getting weaker…

"Coz the inner strength and the hang on to the religion is getting weaker…"

OOH, WHAT A SENTINCE!!! SHARDZOO...BUT THEY CAN'T GET IT

Taliban.. Us occupation…

Is that all what you know about Afghanistan? If yes, please know: To be silent is better. 

Today's Afghanistan is a hell came out paradise. Who did that? Tell me if you know the Sowjet Occupation and the fight to take the country back. It is better to talk about the whole story. I just saw comments about Taliban and the UN occupation of the country but nobody told about the Sowjet occupation and the inner fights between different ideologies etc.  

It is not simple to talk about Afghanistan. If you want to talk then read some books about Afghanistan's history and then you will learn who taliban is.

Osesame and friends…The azan to call for pray is the same all over worlds,reading the verse in Quran and Hadith is also the same,the saying of Shahadah is the same,the act in pray is the same..What is not the same..??I think somebody is just blend the culture and religion together + adding their own personal agenda and their personal needs…They mades their religion as a donkey to lay everything on it back and push them to hold the sack of their  weakness, and the owner is just played "i must reach to my distination and get what i want"..and more unfortunate..,they hide behind it if something happened…and that why religion is being blaim for what  happened through out the world…

Shardzoo, what i know and beieve that we should follow islam teachings not islam follow us, otherwise we will be like west where christinty which follow them, not the vise versa…