Afghan group accuses police of significant violence against women
10 June, 2013 - Afghanistan's human rights commission has accused the police of a
significant amount of violence against women, saying it threatened to undermine public
trust in the security forces as they prepare to take full charge of the country.
Though Afghan women have made gains since the collapse of the austere Taliban regime
in 2001, violence against them remains widespread. There are fears the gains made
could be lost when most foreign forces leave by the end of next year. Nearly 15 percent
of so-called honour killings and sexual assaults were committed by police, the Afghanistan
Independent Human Rights Commission said in a report, citing findings gathered from
more than two years of data. "This issue can harm public confidence and trust (in
our) national police," the commission said. Honour killings are attacks by a member
of a family or a tribe, usually carried out by a man, against another member, usually
a women, because of a perception that the victim brought dishonour to the group.
The commission said it had documented 163 cases of sexual assault and 243 honour killings
throughout the country from the beginning of 2011 to the end of May 2013. It said
that given the high rate of under-reporting, the real number of cases was probably
much higher. "Due to severe traditional sensitivities and cultural obstacles,
a large number of such cases are kept secret." The Interior Ministry, which is responsible
for the police, rejected the report and said the force had made significant progress
towards safeguarding human rights. The Afghan parliament last month failed to pass
a controversial law banning violence against women, dealing another blow to fragile
progress made on women rights. President Hamid Karzai approved the Elimination of
Violence Against Women Law by decree in 2009 but it required parliamentary approval
before it could be enshrined. The decree banned forced and underage marriage, beatings
and rape. Last month, the law was put before parliament but a rift between conservative
and progressive members resulted in it being deferred, with conservatives warning
of "blood on the streets" if it were ever passed. "The cultural impunity and the lack
of follow up of these cases by different organisations and authorities is something
we're very concerned about," said rights commission chairwoman Sima Samar. Despite
billions of dollars in foreign aid poured into the country Over morethan a decade,
Afghanistan is regularly declared to be one of the most dangerous places to be a woman.
As the international presence shrinks, many women fear a return to the conditions
they faced under the Taliban. Afghanistan's 152,000 police are routinely accused of
abuses and critics say their behaviour has pushed many villagers into the ranks of
the insurgency. (Source: Reuters)