KABUL - The European Union condemned recent horrific violence against Afghan women and urged the government to protect vulnerable people.
The EU Special Representative for Afghanistan Vygaudas Usackas criticized the public execution of a 22-year-old female by Taliban in central Parwan province and beheading of a 30-year-old woman and her two children by her divorced husband in Ghazni province early July.

"These horrific incidents are worst examples of the extreme violence Afghan women meet on a daily basis. Over recent months we have seen a sharp rise in recorded honor killings and extra-judicial killings of women across Afghanistan. "Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission confirmed in the first two months of Afghan new year the number of reported honor killings was nearly as high as in all of last year," Usackas said in a statement.

He also said at the just-concluded Tokyo Conference, the Afghan government reaffirmed its commitment to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms of its citizens, in particular the equality of men and women as guaranteed under the constitution and Afghanistan's international human rights obligations.

"I therefore call upon the Afghan government to take effective measures to protect and ensure the safety of women and find and prosecute those responsible for these atrocious acts.

"I also call upon the Afghan people to take a stand against any form of violence against women and provide assistance and support to victimized women and those at risk," added Usackas.

The EU is committed to promote and protect women's rights in Afghanistan and was assisting the government and civil society to fight violence against women, early and forced marriages, and provide safe shelter for those in need, he added. (Pajhwok)