Kai Eide, the United Nations Special Envoy to Afghanistan, urged Afghan leaders to fight violence against women at a meeting in Kabul where he announced a new UN report on the subject. The report, entitled “Silence is Violence” (see PDF), was written by the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights and the UN’s Assistance Mission […]
Taliban Executes Young Couple in Afghanistan
A young Afghan couple who tried to elope were publicly executed by a firing squad Monday by the Taliban in Nimroz, a southwestern province. Reports indicate that the couple, 19-year-old Gul Pecha and 21-year-old Abdul Aziz, were convicted of “immoral acts.” Pecha’s parents reportedly had forced her to become engaged to a man she disliked […]
Afghanistan will Review New Shia Law that Restricts Women’s Rights
Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced this weekend that the Afghan government, specifically the minister of justice, will review a new Shia family law he signed sometime last month that would severely restrict women’s rights in Afghanistan. Karzai, according to news sources, signed the bill to court the Hazara vote in the upcoming presidential election. In […]
Women’s Marine Team Conducts First Mission in Afghanistan
A team of all-female marines who are part of the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force in Afghanistan has conducted their first mission. The team mirrors similar operations in Iraq and was formed because it is culturally taboo for male marines to interact with Afghan women. The team’s leader, 2nd Lieutenant Johanna Shaffer, said […]
Rapists Freed in Afghanistan to be Investigated
There will be a full investigation into the case of two convicted rapists who were given a pardon by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in May. The victim, Sara, discovered that the men had been released from prison when she they saw them walking in their village and she has since been forced into hiding with […]
Taliban Kill Three Women Aid Workers in Afghanistan
Taliban gunmen shot three International Rescue Committee (IRC) workers and their local driver near Kabul on Wednesday. The only survivor, an Afghan man who was critically wounded in the attack, said that five men ambushed the vehicle and opened fire. AFP reports that the Taliban claims the aid workers were members of the military. Shirley […]
Need for Survival Fuels Sex Work, High Birth Rate Kills Mothers in Afghanistan
Women and young girls are being pushed to commercial sex work due to high food prices and widespread unemployment in Afghanistan. High fertility rates, poor health services, and a high maternal mortality rate compound these issues. Sex work is considered to be a serious crime in Afghanistan, where offenders can face the death penalty or […]
Afghan Woman Athlete Seeks Political Asylum
Mehbooba Andyar, Afghan’s only female athlete scheduled to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, disappeared from her training facility in Formia, Italy, on July 4, just weeks before the opening ceremonies. According to Spiegel International, Andyar told her parents she is seeking political asylum in Europe due to death threats spread by extremists who […]
Ten Schools in Afghanistan Attacked Since March
At least ten schools in Afghanistan have been attacked since school began on March 23. These attacks are ten more in a long line of attacks; the Afghan Ministry of Education told IRIN, a United Nations (UN) humanitarian news service, that there were 2,450 terrorist attacks on schools from March 2006 to February of 2008. […]
Woman Receives Military Honors for Tour in Afghanistan
Army Specialist Monica Lin Brown earned the prestigious Silver Star for saving the lives of her fellow soldiers in Afghanistan. Brown is a 19-year-old medic from Texas who used her body to shield wounded soldiers from mortars as she administered aid to them, according to the Associated Press. She is the second woman to earn […]
Major Report Reveals Afghanistan Faltering
The Afghan Study Group (ASG), composed of a bipartisan group of leading scholars and experts on Afghanistan, released a report yesterday stating that “the mission to stabilize Afghanistan is faltering”. The report recommended the “decoupling” of Iraq and Afghanistan in both legislative and management processes, appointing a U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan, and creating a […]
New Report Shows Hope, Dire Conditions in Afghanistan
The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and the United Nations Refugee Agency released a report today assessing the status of economic and social rights in Afghanistan. The second of its kind, the report consolidates interviews with over 11,000 people, many of whom are former refugees, internally displaced persons, members of “vulnerable groups,” and residents in […]
Violence in Afghanistan Surges; Taliban Commits Deadliest Attack Since 2001
The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a suicide bomber who blew up a bus transporting police recruits in Afghanistan yesterday. The attack killed 35 people, the Los Angeles Times reports, making it the deadliest bombing since US-led forces overthrew the Taliban in December 2001. At least 35 other people were wounded in the attack. Since […]
US House Approves Afghanistan Aid Bill with Provisions for Afghan Women and Girls
The US House of Representatives voted 406 to 10 yesterday to pass an omnibus bill that will provide security and economic assistance to Afghanistan and will limit funds given to warlords in high-level offices. The bill includes the major provisions of the Afghan Women’s Empowerment Act, including the authorization for three years of $5 million […]
Ms. Hosts Successful Forum on Afghanistan
The state of Afghan women and girls and the need for better US policies in Afghanistan were the focus of a community forum hosted by Ms. magazine yesterday morning. Dr. Sima Samar, chair of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the UN Special Envoy to Sudan, offered important insight into the reality of the […]
Afghanistan: Drought-Stricken Villagers Resort to Selling Child-Brides
A second drought in Afghanistan has affected over two-and-a-half million villagers, some of whom are selling their young daughters as brides in order to feed and clothe their families. An article in The Guardian earlier this month documented the recent surge of bride-selling in Afghanistan that has resulted from two disastrous droughts to hit Afghanistan […]
Afghanistan Launches Plan for Action Amid Violence
Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday launched a three-year action plan to stabilize and bring justice to the country, which has been in conflict since 1979. The “Action Plan on Peace, Reconciliation and Justice in Afghanistan” outlines five major elements that are deemed necessary to bring justice to Afghanistan; according to IRIN Newswire, these five […]
Conference Seeks to End Self-Immolation in Afghanistan
A conference to find solutions to a growing problem of self-immolation in Afghanistan and other countries began on Tuesday in Kabul, Afghanistan. The conference, hosted by the German womens rights group Medica Mondiale, includes 400 delegates from nations such as Sri Lanka, Iran, Iraq, India, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The delegates will hear recent research from […]
Tribal Elders Work to Reopen Schools in Southern Afghanistan
Over 20 schools have reopened in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand after being demolished by the Taliban insurgency, IRIN, a UN newswire, reported last week. Helmand tribal elders worked with the Afghan government to open 14 mixed gender temporary schools and called upon the government and international organizations to help rebuild permanent structures and […]
Increase in Honor Killings in Afghanistan
There has been a significant increase in so-called honor killings of women in Afghanistan from last year, announced the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) on Friday. The AIHRC believes that the increase is due to discrimination against women, the lack of enforcement of laws protecting women, and a weak judiciary, according to IRIN News, […]