Afghanistan is the land where women are treated as a third class citizen, and a household commodity, whose fate rests to parental sightless ruling. Women found exercising her willingness contrary to parental dictate is subjected to severe castigation and humiliation; is recklessly shunned to depth of utter hopelessness. The society where negation of unsound commandment is deemed immodesty and conceit, and pursuit of a rational discourse unpardonable sin, lies at the depth of moral abyss. Hence, a woman is bound to lead a life, at utter submission of her family associates.
The tales of haplessness ends not here, as is hampered every time she gets out in the pursuit of earning herself a modest livelihood. Our tolerance and patience turn off finding women chase a goal oriented life. We are born and raised underestimating girls, consequently we dare hindering equal participation of women in socio-political arenas; we strive hard equating their right to liberty and pursuit of happiness, bashfulness and contrary to Islamic teachings. Despite such assertions if one fails to impose ones’ narrow and irrational interpretation, what they heard from so-called clergies, on others, tend to come up in the streets and shamelessly begin molesting the passerby girls and women. This is absolutely a great service they are paying to a morally civilized society.
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 Sharia doctrines. Unless the incumbent government takes bold and immediate actions undoing all such developments eroding and restraining the capabilities of women we may not prosper.
Earlier Amnesty International said women human rights defenders in Afghanistan who face mounting violence - including threats, sexual assault and assassinations- are being abandoned by their own government. In a report titled Their Lives On The Line, which was released in Kabul, Amnesty International states that this is despite the significant gains these women human rights defenders have fought to achieve. Their Lives On The Line documents how champions for the rights of women and girls, including doctors, teachers, lawyers, police and journalists as well as activists have been targeted not just by the Taliban but by warlords and government officials as well. Laws meant to support them are poorly implemented, if at all, while the international community is doing far too little to ease their plight.
The report states that rights defenders have suffered car bombings, grenade attacks on homes, killing of family members and targeted assassinations. Many continue their work despite suffering multiple attacks, in the full knowledge that no action will be taken against the perpetrators. Based on interviews with more than 50 women defenders and their family members across the country, Amnesty International found a consistent pattern of authorities ignoring or refusing to take seriously threats against women.
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. In Afghanistan violence against women is much widespread and deeply rooted in different parts of the country. Women 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.
In a statement issued by Amnesty International they said there has been significant international investment to support Afghan women, including efforts to strengthen women's rights. But too much of it has been piecemeal and ad hoc, and much of the aid money is drying up.
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.
As one woman defender explained to Amnesty International: "The threats now come from all sides: it's difficult to identify the enemies. They could be family, security agencies, Taliban, politicians." No woman in public life is safe – those facing threats and violence range from rights activists, politicians, lawyers, journalists and teachers. Even women in the police force are under threat, where sexual harassment and bullying is rife and almost always goes unpunished.
Despite the existence of a legal framework to protect women in Afghanistan – much of it is thanks to tireless campaigning by women's rights activists themselves – laws are often badly enforced and remain mere paper promises, says Amnesty International. Amnesty International's investigation found that a lack of political will on the part of Afghan authorities means that government bodies and officials charged with protecting women are under-resourced and lack the support to carry out their work.
The government and law enforcing agencies and other responsible authorities must come forth playing their responsive role against this very menace. Creating general public awareness against such practice might succeed discouraging them continue such deeds. The government in collaboration with society may win undoing socially charged abuses against women; granting them lead dignified life they deserve.