Plight of Afghan women assailed

By Daniel Cooney, Associated Press, 10/6/2003

KABUL, Afghanistan -- The plight of many Afghan women has barely improved in the two years since the ouster of the Taliban regime, with forced marriages, rapes, and domestic violence still occurring frequently, Amnesty International said.

In a report scheduled for release today, the London-based human rights group accused the international community of failing to do enough in this war-torn country, where most women are still cloistered at home and wear body-shrouding burkas in public.

The ultra-conservative Taliban regime, which was toppled by a US-led invasion in 2001, had banned women from working outside the home and girls from getting an education. The Afghan government has since lifted those restrictions, but in rural areas where it has little authority many women still cannot work outside the home and girls still cannot attend school.

"Nearly two years on, discrimination, violence, and insecurity remain rife, despite promises by world leaders, including President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, that the war in Afghanistan would bring liberation for women," the report said.

"The situation is unacceptable and calls for urgent action."

The report documents instances of widespread violence, forced marriage and rape. It is titled: "Afghanistan: No one listens to us and no one treats us as human beings. Justice denied to women."

In some cases, Amnesty said, girls as young as 8 are married to much older men.

The latest report was issued shortly before the release of a draft constitution, which the writers say will try to revolutionize the way women are treated in this devoutly Muslim country.

The document will ban forced marriages, bridal dowries, and other forms of discrimination. It will guarantee women a political voice by reserving them seats in Parliament, and it will include equal health care and education for all.

However, the government's ability to enforce the constitution is limited.

President Hamid Karzai has little authority outside the capital, Kabul, where most areas are ruled by warlords with private militias.