It is not only terrorism, militancy, poverty, illiteracy that have rocked every section of our society, the day-to-day witnessed human and women rights violations are other issue of immediate attention. Regretfully, women are subjected to inhuman treatment, endless discrimination, harassment and violence. The graph of violence in Afghanistan such as domestic violence, honor killing, and sexual violence against women and young girls is escalating uninterrupted. Every alternate day endless tales of butcheries, physical torture, harassment and sexual assaults are surfaced where women render prey to flawed cultural practices, biased if not blind laws and so-called Sharia doctrines.

Previously the credible human rights organization, Human Rights Watch (HRW) formulated an extensive report entailing saddening state of human rights particularly those of women and girls under the consecutive terms of President Hamid Karzai.  According to the report women dignitaries serving notable positions, remained high value target of insurgents that equally received a cold response by government. The report cautioned further worsening of human rights subsequent to withdrawal of US troops.

In Afghanistan violence against women is much widespread and deeply rooted in different parts of the country. Violence against women is a dramatic problem in Afghanistan that has caused lots of damages to the life of women itself as well as to the society. Women in Afghanistan have no or little voice to be heard and they have always been victims of violence either from their own family or from the society.

Despite the aggravated state of women rights in Afghanistan, the government seems not to give up legislating anti-women laws. One of such laws, denying women protection from domestic violence and forced or child marriage awaits endorsement by president Karzai after being approved by both houses of parliament. This depicts the awful state of affair and deliberate apathy if not negligence of government. A credible human rights organization HRW previously urged President Hamid Karzai not to sign the proposed recommendation into law. If signed, the law will bar judicial authorities from questioning the relatives of a criminal defendant, effectively silencing victims of domestic violence and forced or child marriage and their family members who have witnessed abuse.

The practice of flawed prosecution and imprisonment of women and girls mostly escaping enforcement of family’s irrational decision or violence, continued in spite of directives from the Supreme Court and the Attorney General to end such practices. It has been noticed most women victims remain largely unprotected due to a lack of investigation into most incidents and continued under reporting of pervasive violence against women and girls resulting from discrimination, existing social norms and cultural practices, and fear of reprisals and threat to life. The government must ensure laws contrary to rights of women will not be legislated.