The new Shi'ite Personal Status Law recently passed in Afghanistan
legalises rape within marriage and officially relegates women
to second class citizens; it is a barefaced denial of human rights
that needs to be condemned loudly, unequivocally and universally,
writes Emma Bonino, vice-president of the Italian Senate.
In this analysis, Bonino argues that the new legislation is both a
direct violation of international law and a contravention of a host
of articles in the Afghan Constitution. It legitimises restrictions
on everything women do, including where they go and whom they
visit; it legalises their subjugation to the whims of others; it
denies them a say in decisions about their children and access to
education and health care.
Though Afghan president Hamid Karzai declared his intention to have
the law reviewed following resounding condemnation within and
outside Afghanistan, now is not the time for complacency. We should
maintain our outrage: sign the international appeal, voice your
opinion to your elected officials and to the Afghan authorities,
take innovative, nonviolent action. The women of Afghanistan
deserve no less than our total, unflinching support.
(END/2009)
What is RSS?
