The Afghan Women’s Association and other civil society groups have accused the justice minister of insulting women.
The Afghan Women’s Association and other civil society groups have accused the justice minister of insulting women.On June 20, Minister Habibullah Ghalib addressing a joint session of parliament said women in the shelters were immoral, and hinted they were involved in prostitution.
Women’s groups have demanded the minister provide proof to substantiate his allegations. Also, they wondered how come the minister has not taken action if he was convinced the shelters were dens of vice.
Both AIHRC (Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission) and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs have rejected Justice Minister Ghalib’s charge. The minister’s surprising remark was made before an extraordinary session of parliament called by the Women’s Affairs Commission of the upper house of parliament. The object of his attack are the 14 women’s shelters in the country that have provided much-needed refuge to women and young girls who are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation, often within the family and the community.
The minister, who seemed to think he would not be called to account, made the brazen allegation that the shelters encouraged women and girls to “moral corruption”, which he claimed was a culture imported to Afghanistan from European countries. Launching a direct attack on shelters, he said they were against the culture of Islam, and also encouraged Afghan women and girls to abandon their homes.
Shokriya Khaliqi of the non-governmental Afghan Women for Women who is also an official in one of the refuges, said the minister of justice has denigrated women.
According to her, all those who insult women including the minister of justice should be prosecuted for breaking Afghanistan’s laws. “The minister should know the law better than me,” she told Killid in an interview. “Those who make claims and don’t have proof are making false accusations from the point of view of the law. The charge of false accusation is a punishable offence under the law,” she argues.
There is no doubt that women’s shelters serve an important purpose in a country like Afghanistan where violence against women is widespread, most of it behind the closed doors of the homes of people, both rich and poor.
Where is the evidence?
Take the case of Sahar Gul. Only 15 years old she was rescued by officials and admitted to a women’s refuge. She had been kept a prisoner, against her will, by her husband’s family for six months. The plucky girl who has spoken out about the torture and abuse she suffered wants to see her husband’s parents prosecuted for the crimes they committed. People say their parents home and in-laws home are the safest places for women, she says. Where can they go when the assault and violations are committed in the parents and in-laws’ houses, she asks. “There is so much ignorance in our society,” she adds. “I have proof of fathers and brothers assaulting daughters and sisters; I have proof of such abuse by fathers-in-law as well.”
AIHRC spokesperson, Shams Ahmadzai, in an interview with Killid, expresses his anxiety over the justice minister’s comments. If the minister had any proof why didn’t he take it to the Attorney General’s office, he wonders. “From our point of view there is no basis for the observations. The AIHRC is transparent. We have not found anything in this regard,” says Ahmadzai.
According to him, shelters are critical for women’s safety. In some instances, he adds, the women have been brought to the shelter by their husbands. “I humbly request his Excellency, the minister to build a place where women’s purity and honour are safe.”
Demanding proof
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs, Sayeda Mozhgan Mostafawi, has expressed “sadness” over the minister’s allegations. The women’s shelters are closely monitored; no one can enter or leave without permission, she says. “Shelters like the ones Minister Habibullah Ghalib mentions have not been found (by us),” she adds.
Moreover, if the Ministry of Justice had found evidence it should have been shared with us, she asserts. “Everyone should have their proof before they make a claim. The Commission for the Eradication of Violence against Women and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs monitor the shelter. Hence I reject the claim,” she says firmly. According to Deputy Minister Mostafawi, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has been seeking to build more refuges for women and girls who flee their houses.
The embattled justice minister did not agree to talk to Killid. However, in an interview with Shakila Ibrahimkhail of Tolo TV, he claimed he has documents to prove his claim. Will the minister share these with the media or his cabinet colleagues?
Women’s shelters in Afghanistan are only a few years old. The oldest in Kabul was built in 2003. The fact that there are none in Kandahar is believed to be the reason for the high rate of suicide among women in the province.
Gul Paro of Kandahar thinks these women’s only refuges would save the lives of women who are viciously assaulted in their parents and in-laws homes. “Widows and homeless women who have been thrown out of their houses could (also) stay in these shelters,” says Shah Gul, another Kandahar resident. “We would be very happy if these centres are built here,” she adds.
