I Had to Run Away - Human Rights Watch Report on Women in Afghanistan Accused of Moral Crimes

Human Rights Watch has released a report based on interviews conducted in prisons and juvenile detention facilities in Afghanistan with women and girls accused of "moral crimes". More than half the women in Afghan prisons are accused of these charges which usually involve flight from an unlawful marriage or domestic violence. Some are accused of sex outside of marriage after being raped or forced into prostitution. Things have improved for Afghan women overall since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 (in education, access to health care, and employment). However, there still is significant concern about the fate of women as the international community draws down its committment to Afghanistan - especially in the area of imprisonment for "moral crimes". You can read more about the March 2012 Human Rights Watch report on the imprisonment of women and girls for moral crimes in Afghanistan in I Had To Run Away. Read a news article about the report in "Afghan women are being jailed for moral crimes, says report", The Guardian, March 28, 2012.