“The angel of the family is one’s woman. Mother, wife, or sister, a woman is the caress of life, the soothing sweetness of affection, a reflection for all individuals of the loving providence which watches over humanity. In her there is a wealth of tenderness to allay every pain. Moreover, for every one of us she is the initiator of the future. The mother’s first kiss teaches the child love; the first holy kiss of the woman he loves teaches man about hope and faith in life. This love and faith create a desire for perfection and the ability to reach step by step progress. It creates the short future, of which the living symbol is the child; a link between us and the generations to come. Through her, the family with its divine mystery of reproduction, points to eternity.” Giuseppe Mazzini.

After a decade under an up-coming democratic government, Afghan women are still suffering severe violence in their individual and collective life. Their nails are pulled by pliers in dark cellars by stone-hearted men, their lips and noses are lopped off, corrosive acid is sprayed on their faces; all for the crime of going to school. Their schools are burnt down, their bodies are hanged on trees, their throats are cut and they are stoned or shot dead without a touch of humanity.

The unfortunate pictures of mutilated women on the covers of magazines, on newspapers and TV screens fills one with fear. Their sobbing in hospitals, their scream in the cellars for sustaining ruthless tortures is guaranteed to melt a heart of stone.

Last week there was shocking news about women. According to reports, a young woman’s dead body, riddled by Kalashnikov bullets, was found in Takhar province on Monday. According to Takhar officials, this is the third case of a women’s death within a month in that province. A woman and her young daughter were shot dead by unknown gunman in Kundus province on Tuesday. A newly-wed woman was hanged in Daikundi province.

Meanwhile, the staffs of Herat Saranwali, public prosecutor’s office, announced that from the start of the current year, more than 345 cases of violence against women, which also included death, have been registered.

In the patriarchal society of Afghanistan, women are expected to adopt a second position. Traditionally, they have to endure the bitterness of life without a word of protest. Their husbands are their full-authorized masters who can always order them around and treat them as slaves.

In the stereotyped mindset of religious extremists, women are sinful creatures. Their bursts of laughter in the streets, their charming feminine voices, their beautiful faces, all make them sinful. They are doomed to hide behind a sad façade, repress their sentiments and conceal their smile, since they are not men. Of course, in conservative social ideology women are inferior to men and they are ineligible for many priorities.

According to religious fundamentalists, women have no right to go to school or to take part in social and cultural activities. They have to be kept in dark and in seclusion. Their active part in social activities will result in moral corruption in the society. In other words, men will succumb to the temptation of their attraction and will fall into crime. Hence, in order not to disturb the mental peace of the men, women are supposed to be kept within the four walls of the homes.

Susan B. Anthony says, "The day will come when man will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the genders that shall result in the highest development of the race."

There lie many cultural barriers for women in our society. An Afghan woman will have an honorable life when she lives without complaining about injustice at the hands of her husband. Often women are made to marry persons against their inner choices. A woman who keeps silent, despite hearing biting words, foul languages, mental and physical tortures, etc. is a woman of life in ideal Afghan culture.

The erosion of religious values, absence of humanity and decline of moral standards are the great tragedies in our social and individual life. We are deep in cruelty and vice. The current violence taking place against women demonstrates our real characters. Can you ever imagine shedding the blood of one with whom you lived for a long time?

Remembering the poignant stories of women touches me greatly. Their tearful eyes reflecting the cruelty of men, their bitter sobs and their sad faces demonstrating painful tragedies make me frozen with fright. I remember vividly the miserable story of a rape victim in Daikundi Province just some months ago. Shakila, a teenage school girl who was living in Korga village, always had to pass by her neighbors’ houses on her way to school. One morning, on her way to school, she was waylaid and raped by an eighty-year-old man of her neighborhood. He did this to avenge his wife‘s rape many years ago by the father of the same girl, Shakila. Even though, her father had already been trialed and imprisoned for a long period, for his crime, the old man still kept his animosity. Why should the innocent daughter be held accountable for the fault of her father?

Women’s rights are trampled upon and honor-killing are committed against them. Their social positions are deemed low in the society. The violence taking place against Afghan women mostly makes the headlines on the newspapers. Hence, aren’t we empty of moral norms and religious values?

I would like to conclude my article with a model quotation from Olympe de Gouges, “Male and female citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, must be equally admitted to all honors, positions, and public employment according to their capacity and without other distinctions besides those of their virtues and talents.”