EVAW Law
The ABC’s of Sexual Violence Around the World
Video Posted on Updated on
Well it is officially Fall! After taking the summer off, its back to blogging!
This year I want to go on a little journey around the world highlighting the different forms of sexual violence that women and girls face every day. There are many “hot spots” around the world when it comes to sexual violence but the plight of females in many countries goes unnoticed. I hope I can highlight some of these. As you come on the journey with me I want to make two things clear. 1. Sexual violence whatever form or perceived extremity is horrific, playing comparison games is futile and cruel. 2. Sexual violence is a global, local and familial problem for us all. We need each other if we are to end it. On that note…lets start at the beginning….A!
A is for Afghanistan – Rape and Punishment
Rape and domestic violence are major problems in Afghanistan today. An article for the New York Times stated that “Up to 90 percent of women in Afghanistan face domestic abuse, usually by a close relative. Although this is technically illegal in Afghanistan, the law is rarely enforced due to customs that treat women as the property of men and allow men to do with “their” women as they please.” The article also noted that domestic abuse and rape often go hand in hand. The Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) Law in Afghanistan makes sexual violence illegal. However, the law is rarely enforced and some of the nations governmental figures accuse the law of being anti-muslim because it criminalizes practices such as forced & child marriage. (UN Report)
One of the first successful rape cases just last month saw a man sentenced to prison for 20 years for raping a 10 year old girl. Though this case was seen as a success, it did not come without its challenges. After this 10 year old girl was raped, she had to be protected from her family after it was discovered that her own family were planning to kill her in the name of honour. Honour killings are a common response to rape in families -“rape victims are themselves murdered by their families in honour killings because male members of the family see the lack of chastity in their women as an object of deep shame.” Source Until 2009 rape was not even illegal. Instead, rape victims were often prosecuted under Sharia law for adultery and zina (a term for unlawful intercourse including non-martial intercourse). Women for Afghan Women (WAW) who sheltered this girl has a video outlining some of the issues faced by Afghan women both in Afghanistan and North America.
Hope for Her 