24 May, 20143 - Hard-line Islamist students protested in the Afghan capital on Wednesday
demanding the repeal of a presidential decree for women's rights that they say is
un-Islamic. It was the latest sign of a backlash against the legal protections passed
in the 12 years since the toppling of the Taliban regime known for its harsh treatment
of women. The protest came days after conservative lawmakers' vehement opposition
blocked an attempt to cement the decree's provisions in legislation. Most of international
force that ousted the Taliban is now preparing to withdraw by the end of next year,
and activists fear an erosion of the women's rights will follow if hard-liners pressure
the elected government. More than 200 male students protested in front of Kabul University
on Wednesday against the decree on Elimination of Violence Against Women, which includes
a ban on child marriage and forced marriage, makes domestic violence a crime and says
rape victims cannot be prosecuted for adultery. It also outlaws ``ba'ad,'' a traditional
practice of exchanging women or girls to settle disputes or debts. Protesters allege
the decree was imposed by foreigners' and violates Islamic Shariah law. Afghan President
Hamid Karzai issued the decree on women's rights three years ago as part of a raft
of commitments to international donors, but lawmaker and activist Fawzia Kofi wanted
to pass it in parliament to prevent any future president from reversing it. The brief
parliamentary debate Saturday was ended by the speaker after fierce opposition from
conservative lawmakers who said several provisions _ including the ban on child marriage
and jail time for domestic abuse _ violated Islamic law. The decree remains in force,
but the debate appears to have galvanized opposition to it. The United Nations' mission
in Afghanistan this week urged the government to do more to enforce the women's rights
decree, saying it is only sporadically applied when women report abuse. ``It is imperative
for the development of Afghanistan that women are able to exercise their rights and
be free from violence in their homes and workplaces,'' UN Special Representative Jan
Kubis said in a Monday statement. In another worrisome sign for activists, the
international group Human Rights Watch said Tuesday that the number of women and girls
jailed for alleged loose morals is the highest since the ouster of the Taliban, even
though most of those detained are victims of abuse and have committed no crime under
Afghan civil law. The Taliban imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law
during their five-year reign, ordering beatings for women failing to wear the full-body
burqa garment in public, closing girls' schools and banning women from leaving their
homes without a male relative. They were toppled in a U.S.-led invasion for sheltering
the al-Qaida's terrorist leadership and now wage an insurgency. Human Rights Watch's
Afghanistan researcher Heather Barr said that Afghanistan risks losing international
aid if it does not meet commitments to uphold women's freedoms.