Photo: Associated PressWednesday, December 7, 2011 – Many Afghan women find themselves suffering from violence and abuse, with virtually no legal protection. Recently, authorities sentenced Gulnaz, a 21 year old rape victim, to 12 years in prison for adultery.Under Afghan law, the woman is guilty of breaking sexual taboos when she engages in sexual acts outside of marriage, whether those sexual acts are consensual or not. When international authorities criticized the decision, the Afghan authority reduced Gulanz’s sentence from 12 years to three years, for her failure to report the rape incident on time.
Gulnaz told CNN that she didn’t immediately report the rape because she knew authorities would imprison her for adultery rather than prosecute her attacker. Last week, president Karzai pardoned Gulanz after she agreed to marry her attacker.
The president subsequently lifted the condition of forced marriage after facing continued international pressure.
Unfortunately, Gulnaz’s story is common in Afghanistan. A 2011 report by the United Nations concluded that the Afghanistan government has made few changes to uphold women’s rights. The report found that violence against women remains prevalent throughout the country. Continue reading →
