Human Rights Watch has urged the Government to take steps to end the unlawful imprisonment of women and girls accused of running away from their homes. Mentioning the recent statement from Government officials that it is not criminal for Afghan women to escape from home, HRW referred to its report in March which said about 70 percent of the approximately 700 female prisoners have been imprisoned for running away, nearly always for fleeing forced marriage or domestic violence.

Human Rights Watch research in six prisons and juvenile detention centers has found that some 50 percent of women in prison and some 95 percent of girls in juvenile detention are accused of so-called "moral crimes." The organization credited President Karzai for issuing decrees to release significant number of imprisoned women and girls, but the statement emphasized that further steps should be taken to free all female inmates on charges and convictions of running away from their homes.

HRW Asia Director Brad Adams said pardoning victims of unlawful imprisonment for running away does nothing to end this abuse. He added that President Karzai should issue a decree prohibiting all arrests and prosecutions for 'running away' and order the release of all women and girls currently imprisoned on this charge.

We appreciate the follow up and focus of HRW on this grave issue and hope the Government makes further improvement in releasing all those held in charges for escaping from forced marriages and so-called moral crimes. Fleeing home is not a crime under the criminal code, but courts treat such women who escape home due to forced marriages and domestic violence as criminals.

A previous HRW report said women and girls face a justice system stacked against them at every stage. Police arrest them solely on a complaint of a husband or relative. Prosecutors ignore evidence that supports women's assertions of innocence. Judges often convict solely on the basis of "confessions" given in the absence of lawyers and "signed" without having been read to women who cannot read or write. After conviction, women routinely face long prison sentences, in some cases more than 10 years.

We urge the concerned authorities and ministries to take serious notice of this grave violation of women rights. Hundreds are locked behind bars on criminal charges not mentioned in law. There is no one to question the entire judicial system that has kept these women imprisoned without any legal crime except the prevailing perception of chauvinistic morality.