According to the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, the legislation recently passed in Afghanistan “says that Afghan Shi’ite women will not have the right to leave their homes except for “legitimate” purposes, and forbids women from working or receiving education without their husbands’ express permission.
The legislation explicitly permits marital rape by saying that a wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband. It reportedly diminishes the right of mothers to be their children’s guardians in the event of a divorce. And it makes it impossible for wives to inherit houses and land from their husbands — even though husbands may inherit property from their wives.
The legislation only applies to Shi’a, whom the Afghan Constitution allows to be governed by separate law where family issues are concerned. Shi’ite Muslims make up over 10 percent of Afghanistan’s population.”
This can’t be a good thing. Once upon a time things looked a little better for Afghan women, not much but some, then we took off to destroy Iraq.
I’ve written about RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan) as far back as 2005, at blogspot, when I posted an initial link to the RAWA site and to the story of their founder Meena, who was “assassinated by the KHAD (Afghanistan branch of KGB) and their fundamentalist accomplices in Quetta, Pakistan, on February 4, 1987″. I posted several other times links to RAWA posts, expressing some disgust at the fact that we here here spent so much time talking about things like the pathos dirty tee-shirt contests, when real horror was happening in the world. Dirty water — Dirty Death — Dirty tee — shirts. No contest.
I suggested, last summer, a movie to all to watch in Dear President Obama
MOTHERLAND AFGHANISTAN in which Afghan American filmmaker Sedika Mojadidi follows her father (Dr. Qudrat Mojadidi) on his tragic trip to Afghanistan, a trip he was invited on by the U.S. government to help rehabilitate the largest women’s hospital in the country, Rabia Balkhi, a hospital which at the time was put under U.S. Sponsorship with a newly re-named Laura Bush maternity ward, and what a joke that whole thing was.
Well I’m doing it again.
A couple of the more recent RAWA posts, as you can imagine the site is posted to infrequently.
Neither the US nor Jehadies and Taliban
Transcript: Radio interview with Eman, Member of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA).
I really suggest you read. Then flick through the site.
We need to help these women do whatever it is they need to do to help themselves.
“What can we do to help RAWA?”
The Afghan Women’s Mission , a registered non profit through IHC, it works closely with RAWA to support health, educational, and other programs for Afghan women.
FEMAID also works with RAWA.
Women for Women International/Afghanistan
Campaign For Afghan Women and Girls, a public awareness campaign with the help of Mavis Leno, picking up now that Afghanistan is back in vogue. I am all for public awareness and the women is Afghanistan are happy to have someone publicizing their cause, they would like more people to do so, and making people aware of what is going on helps the fund raising. This cause is not ideologically distinct. Any women or man, or group of women or men can help. You do not have to have any specific ideology, you don’t have to call yourself a feminist, be a member of NOW, or the feminist majority. A concerted effort by all women and men, to help these women is needed. It’s not as glamorous as some causes and it probably won’t make Glenn Beck cry, but it is a cause too long ignored here.
Peace
Yeah for text messaging. I thought you might want comments on here.
Except for your past posts I probably wouldn’t have heard much about this back in the day, and never see much about this on blogs for or by women. It’s a much harder cause to deal with, and even though rewards for most causes are not immediate this is so long term I think people just let it pass.
john’s last blog post..Abandoned Houses, New Houses
Sometimes that happens if I’m posting from a coffee break.
I’m trying to figure this out, are they in hiding? RAWA I mean, not all the women of Afghanistan.
casey’s last blog post..A Sporting Monday
RAWA is not run in Afghanistan, but from other locations including Pakistan. There are organization in this country who help fund them not near enough it is quite ignored.There is some information via the site below.
Actually Anne Brodsky was a prof at your school?
I agree something needs to be done, however why does it seem that it’s all on the US to assist?
More often than none it seems every time the US does anything to help most countries the pendulum swings back as being the US’s fault for having done anything to begin with.
I agree it desperately needs attention, and resolution, but other nations also need to get their hands dirty for human rights.
I get sick with lots of things I don’t understand.
PETA’s worried about animal rights.
This weekend Americans spent over $193 million on movies.
Three times as many spent money of pet food.
I understand the importance of inhumane treatment, but at the same time I just see so much waste, so much filth, so much carelessness I have a hard time imagining how the US can do anything that actually makes a difference in all of this wreckage of human waste.
Now I’m depressed…I’m going eat an apple.
Bennet’s last blog post..Rush Limbaugh Leaves New York
Actually the US has laid waste to many counties because it pleases them and is beneficial to them to do so. Some of what has happened there is a direct result of of leaving to destroy Iraq, there is a long history worth investigating. The money we spend in AID is usually nothing compared to what we expect to get in return. However there are women working in their own to help this cause to do what needs to be done and private foundations and individuals fundraising and giving them the means to do this is probably the best way — if only it could be done to the same tune we’ve wasted on the aid which has, in many cases done nothing, done nothing.
Thanks Cooper. I’m getting all guilty – about being caught up in my little life and I don’t mean that sarcastically
I think John is right. i also think people find it too unbelievable to deal with
I think your blog should be given an award “conscience of the millenium” for as usual you serve as mine
pia’s last blog post..House obsessed!
I think we’ve all had our fill of awards.
I believe there’s a woman affiliated with RAWA who lives near Carlisle, PA. I saw something a few weeks ago in the Chambersburg paper about an Afghani family that’s been local for about 15 years — they came over after the Taliban killed most of her family. Will have to pay more attention to that if there’s someone from RAWA on our shores.
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It’s a rather clandestine group. A psyche prof, actually now assistant chair, at the u of md Baltimore county wrote a book after traveling there years ago she is, active in this regard, Dr. Anne Brodsky is her name. The other groups are more hidden but the problem is groups which tend to huddle around the feminist mantle do not always share their escapades outside of academic circles or their own organizations, thus decreasing what could potentially be a phenomenal
participation in helping these women.
Excellent post, sorry I didn’t stop by till now. I’ve been following the news about the new law in Afghanistan but I hadn’t heard of RAWA before. You’re right that it’s a cause to long ignored here. I’m definitely going to check out some of the links you gave right now.
Nisha’s last blog post..Quick Hit: The Afghan Rape Law
They have been around for quite some time, there is a group of women in this state who support that group, not nearly enough though. There are not more organizations who also give support so do check out the links.
This is a no brainier, you help these women through donors, and do as much as you can to give them the tools they need to help themselves, We’ve fucked up over the years in Afghanistan and the Taliban is now making the rules. I notice on their site they say they love to have celebrities touting their cause, making it known.
jacob’s last blog post..“No, Senator McKinley, I will not co-sponsor a leadership bill with you.”
It would certainly help fundraising which as you can see by the things they ask for and need would be very helpful.