Image from http://acelebrationofwomen.org
We will ask the president not to sign until the article is changed, we will put a lot of pressure on him,” remarked Selay Ghaffar, director of the shelter and advocacy group Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan.
This quote refers to Article 26. An article that may be signed, that according to the International Center for Transitional Justice, this new law,“ bans relatives of an accused person from testifying against them.” This creates a problem since abuse of this nature happens most often in the home, and the crimes are created between male family members and female family members.
The Article 26 goes before President Karzai, who as of recent, has been taking a more conservative view on things. And agreeing with a stricter interoperation of the law, which could pass this article, and harm even more women across Afghanistan.
After the fall and the rise of the Taliban in 2000 and 2001 women’s rights in the country have been progressive on the books, but not translating well to real life. Thousands of women are still abused in this area of the world. As American, and other international forces pull out of Afghanistan the threat to women now is even more at risk. If this law is passed it will essentially be saying it’s lawful for men to beat women in there own homes. This would be a large step back for Afghan women rights, but also for Human Rights as a whole.