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| Afghanistan/South Asia | ||
| Afghan warlords 'threaten women' | ||
| 2004-10-05 | ||
| By Andrew North 10-5-04 BBC correspondent in Kabul Threats on women by the Taleban and warlords are undermining their participation in Afghanistan's upcoming elections, a human rights group says. The US-based Human Rights Watch says in a report that very few women have registered to vote on Saturday in areas where the Taleban are active. The report says even campaign workers have received death threats for raising women's issues. More than 40% of Afghanistan's 10.5 million registered voters are women.
There is no doubt that life has got better for Afghan women with the removal of the Taleban and their harsh restrictions. More than a million girls are now at school. Many are working, all of this underpinned by a new constitution enshrining equal rights with men. But for many women, things have barely changed. Many are still not allowed to work by their families, while many suffer violence at the hands of husbands and other relatives. Far too often, they find the authorities unable or unwilling to protect them because of deep-rooted social attitudes. Afghanistan's Women's Affairs Minister Habiba Sarabi says stronger laws are not enough. "Education is also very, very important. It's a fundamental thing. Changing attitudes of men, rather than women, because this is a male-dominated country and men should change their minds towards the women," she says. | ||
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #10 Oh woe is us, the plight of women in Afghanistan! According to the BBC, that is. I wonder if they've noticed that women no longer are being executed in soccer stadiums in that unhappy land. The election, as imperfect as it will be, is light years ahead of what that country has experienced in the last 30 years, and coincidentally ahead of anything the Master Race has managed to do in the Magic Kingdom. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2004-10-05 12:41:02 PM |
| #9 This is old news. Women political activists have had their lives threatened ever since they began taking part in the new Afghani parliment. They can still poison the imams tea though. D@mn straight. Works just fine for me. Another solution I'd like to suggest is long term female contraceptives like Norplant. If women avoided early pregnancy, they could make a more viable start in life and thereby have at least some degree of better control over whom they get married to. While arranged matches are probably still the norm, women might be more likely to leave men who they find to be abusive if there were no issue from the marriage. As Winston Churchill said: "The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men." |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-10-05 11:41:41 AM |
| #8 Killing infants of either gender is always a bad idea. I think you should know. For some reason, I always knew that and thought everyone else does too. We can make an exception for Islam. Seems like everybody else wants to make exceptions for them. |
| Posted by: BH 2004-10-05 10:12:41 AM |
| #7 "They can still poison the imams tea though. I actually insist on that bit." In agreement here. |
| Posted by: Memesis 2004-10-05 6:15:11 AM |
| #6 How about they kill BBC reporters instead? They can still poison the imams tea though. I actually insist on that bit. One of the reason they treat womem so badly is due to all the buggery that goes on. They really don't know whats normal. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-05 6:01:47 AM |
| #5 this article deserves the bull graphic. It's just political posturing attempting to deny GW any credit for improving the stauts of Afghan women. I guess the 10.5 million women who reigstered to vote just signed up for the hell of it - and none of those 10.5 million will be at the polls. BBC - give yourself a DOH! Even if 2 of them showed up to vote, it would be an improvement in the rights of women - but to imply, that with 10.5 MILLION registered , they won't show and impact the election is just pure BBC wishful thinking. |
| Posted by: 2b 2004-10-05 5:57:00 AM |
| #4 They are outnumbering men. Usually it is 51% to 49%, in countries where war was or is going on the ratio is even more skewed in favor of women. So, have some other ideas? Killing infants of either gender is always a bad idea. I think you should know. For some reason, I always knew that and thought everyone else does too. |
| Posted by: Memesis 2004-10-05 5:38:30 AM |
| #3 Just doing my part for Afghan womens rights. When the womem out number the men they will get rights. Oh and they can poison the imams tea too. That will help speed it along. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-05 5:31:05 AM |
| #2 Feeling ok, SPod? |
| Posted by: Memesis 2004-10-05 5:23:16 AM |
| #1 The solution is for these women to start killing all male children at birth. That will show the men who is boss. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-05 5:16:46 AM |