The birth of a female child marks the beginning of endless awaiting miseries, in this piece of land. Every day, we learn a heart wrecking story where a woman is found the object of rampant harassment, physical abuses, mental torture and societal discrimination. We turn deaf ears to the hapless cries, blind eyes negligent to see the magnitude of mental sufferings she endures while getting out to earn a livelihood, numb to realize the numerous pain of gender based victimization she bears frequently, because of fallacious socio-religious structure based on irrational biases. It reflects women are coerced to repression after being found ill fated and voiceless.
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. They have never given equal rights specially the right to freedom and never been treated equally like men because the traditions, customs and practices have always kept men to be superior.
Violence against women in Afghanistan have kept women very far away from education which is one of the reasons that usually subjected them to extensive discriminations because they are kept ignorant of their fundamental rights. The choices of Afghan women are extraordinarily restricted; the family decides the fate of their lives. There is little chance for education, little choice about which she marries no choice at all about her role in her own house.
Violence against women in Afghanistan such as domestic violence, honor killing, and sexual violence against women and young girls are some examples of violence that has caused lots of destructions to Afghan women in particular and to the society in general.
Undoubtedly, a marriage at an early age is considered women’s gravest issue that mercilessly subjects an innocent being into eternal physical abuse and mental torture. Particularly, when this marriage is forced, then it will be an irreparable harm. Child marriages violate many human rights; including to education, freedom from violence, reproductive rights, access to reproductive and sexual health care, employment, freedom of movement, and the right to consensual marriage. A child put up for sale at the cost of all these rights is a matchless example of vibrant violation of children rights and women rights.
The unchecked and socially accepted heavy dose of baseless biases and discrimination socially transmitted to the upcoming generation aggravating the state of affairs of our beloved county widening the rifts. The exploitation and suppression of inferior section of the society is deemed once innate right rendering beyond jurisdiction of the state to question the violators. The excruciated echoing miseries of hapless people intimates the dictum, might is rights, perfectly matches the state of ill-governance and indifference of ruling elites, in this piece of land reversing the state of affairs. Women devalued, socially ill-treated on flawed findings of deep rooted cultural and gender biases, knocked them out of socio-political endeavors. Thus they are highly restricted to effectively contribute in the joint uplift of the country. Even laws providing them minimal socio-economic safeguards are revised in the bid to leave them to endless sufferings, reflects the entrenched degree prejudices.
Earlier, Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a strongly-worded letter to former president, called for immediate action to be taken against child marriage practices and domestic violence in Afghanistan. The international humanitarian group argued the persistence of the issues marked negligence in Afghan development that led to a number of other problematic public health and social trends.
Afghan authorities are continuously called to take, much greater steps to both facilitate reporting of incidents of violence against women and launch immediate investigatory cells in districts and division level facilitating the prosecution. As long as women and girls in Afghanistan are subject to violence with impunity, little meaningful and sustainable progress for women’s rights can be achieved in the country. Ensuring rights for Afghan women – such as their participation in public life, including in the peace and reconciliation process and equal opportunities in education and employment – requires not only legal safeguards on paper, but critically, speedy and full enforcement of the EVAW law.
As long as women and girls in Afghanistan are subject to violence with impunity, little meaningful and sustainable progress for women’s rights can be achieved in the country. Ensuring rights for Afghan women, such as their participation in public life, including in the peace and reconciliation process and equal opportunities in education and employment, requires not only legal safeguards on paper, but critically, speedy and full enforcement of the EVAW law.
Formerly the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General, highlighted the importance of continued meaningful engagement and inclusion of women in Afghanistan’s political processes. "Through such action women’s voices and concerns can help improve the country’s political life,” said the special representative. "Women's participation in national decision-making not only strengthens the representative nature of government institutions but is central to improved development and economic indicators." Unanimously pragmatic steps must be taken by incoming premier to avert the fate of women in the country.
The role of women in peace, reconciliation, rehabilitation and nation building must not be repudiated. They must be heard by granting maximum if not equal opportunities in societal making. The upcoming government keeping his promise should take bold and immediate measures undoing all such developments eroding and restraining the capabilities of women to work for the good of society provided empowered women can effectively contribute in the development of the country.
Women not only constitute half of afghan population but also can play foundational role in formation and development of the society and upcoming generation. They owe equivalent vigor to outstand and undertake the societal undertakings appropriately. Regretfully, they are deemed and treated second class citizen; meant to plague their innate capabilities rendering them dysfunctional. If properly educated and socialized they can be turned into valuable human resource earning enormous riches for poverty stricken country. If shun in constant denial they will degenerate without productive contribution.