Violence against women is a highly controversial issue across the country. They dwell in a havoc suffering physical and mental tortures, their lips and noses are lopped off and their bodies are covered in cuts and bruises every now and then, they are flogged in desert court, stoned to death, hanged on trees and their blood is shed mercilessly in one way or another. In short, they are treated as inferior creatures in our traditional culture and patriarchal society.
She does not have the right to breathe a word regarding her would-be life-partner. She has to live her life, with whom her family finds, by hook or by crook. Stating a word about life-partner puts her honor under question because she is girl and timidity is her dignity. If she speaks with any suspicious boys, she will be scolded severely or even tortured but if she elopes with a boy that she wants to live with him according to her own will, she will be stoned or hanged by her own family members and tribe. She must know that being a girl means to live inside the four walls of the home, be born there, gives birth there and dies there. Inside home is her world, paradise or her hell.
In addition, the Taliban militants still remain a threat to Afghan women. The tragic incident of spraying corrosive acid on school girls and burning their schools will never be erased from the memory of Afghan women. Moreover, women lose their lives in terrorist attacks the same as men. They are not able to take part in political, cultural and educational activities with peace of mind.
The tragedies met philippic and hue and cry from the people and the officials but soon fade into oblivion. The grim memory haunts the minds of the victims for the whole life. It is feared that violence against women will become a personal business being untouched by the involvement of Human Rights Organization, Civil Rights Society, and many other institution supporting women’s rights, as it is in many villages.
Mohandas Gandhi says very aptly, “Woman is the companion of man, gifted with equal mental capacities. She has the right to participate in the minutest details in the activities of man, and she has an equal right of freedom and liberty with him.” It is beyond the shadow of doubt that women have the equal rights to men. There must be no obstacles for them to play their roles actively in the society and take part in cultural, educational and political fields. Nobody has the right to trample upon the women’s rights.
Unfortunately, in today’s modern world, we still see obsolete mindsets and traditional ways of thinking regarding women. It will be no exaggeration to say that the violent attitudes and misbehaviors of some people concerning women are akin to those who lived in Arab Peninsula before Islam. The very barbarity is seen in some parts of the country.
The horrible violence will fill one with strong sense of hatred and disgust. Won’t you be frozen with fear to hear that Sahar Gul was tortured in a highly inhuman manner by her-in-laws in a dark cellar for six months? How barbarically her nails were pulled out, her whole body was covered in cuts and bruises and she was given electric shock! Will one forget the story of Aisha whose ears and nose were cut and she was left in a mountain to die? What about the story of Shakila who was shot on the face by her husband sustaining serious injuries in a hospital? Won’t one be traumatized by the story of Sitara who fell victim to her husband’s anger and her nose and lip were cut the same as Aisha? What about the news that the dead bodies of women were found on trees, in the homes, etc.? And what about the daily news making the headlines on the newspapers and broadcast from the national and international media? Of course, one will be touched with tragic stories of Afghan women.
Last year was really tragic for the Afghan women. As a result, on August 2013, a female member of parliament was kidnapped; a senator was injured in an ambush of her car and her8-year-old daughter was killed. Soon after, the country’s top female police officer was fatally shot as she left her home. Sitara and Shakila were victimized by their husbands as mentioned before; a girl and a boy were hanged for elopement by desert court in one of the provinces, etc.
Forced marriage is one of the crucial factors leading to violence. We all know that nobody can force affection and kindness upon another. One who abhors another can never live with the person for a lifetime under the same roof. In traditional villages, the parents interfere in the issue and force their daughters to accept the marriage. This leads to one of the three results: escape, suicide or divorce. Moreover, even physical punishments are taking place to make the girls accept such marriages, which are wanted by their parents. Many daughters who refuse are punished physically by their mothers. Thus, the parents want not to only impose their interests but also the marriage to others on their daughters. This is a great injustice which is rampant in the country.
The withdrawal of foreign forces is a matter of great concern for Afghan women. Of course, if foreign forces withdraw from the country, the women are the first who will be affected. In other words, women are the most susceptible group in the country who are threatened by terrorism and insecurity. The radical ideology of the religious extremists has not been changed regarding women and their domestic role. The Taliban insurgents still treat woman as pariah who is supposed not to attend school or take part in social activities such as culture, politics and so on. Hence, it is a matter of worry for Afghan women.