New Afghan Law Will Roll Back Women's Gains in Afghanistan

A new law passed by the Afghan parliament and awaiting signature by President Hamid Karzai will effectively silence victims of domestic violence. Things improved for women in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban regime; however, over the past few years there has been a roll-back of rights and conditions for Afghan women. In 2013 there was (according to the United Nations) a 28 per cent increase in reports of attacks against women - but very little rise in the number of prosecutions. Although there are some laws on the books that protect women they are rarely enforced. The article linked to below points out that with ISAF and the international community pulling out of Afghanistan things will likely get worse for women in Afghanistan. Read more in "New Afghan Law Disastrous for Women, Says National Geographic Photographer", National Geographic, February 8, 2014.