Afghanistan: Re-establishing the Rule of Law

The section that relates to violence against women begins on page 39 of this report. It addresses violence against women in the family and discuses the fact that the Afghan Criminal Code contains no provision that clearly criminalises violence in the private sphere. It discusses the problem of rape victims, when reporting their assault to the police, being charge for zina offences. There is a long section addressing the problem of zina crimes and punishments in general, including the fact that ‘running away from home’ can incur a zina conviction. Furthermore, although forced marriage is a crime under Afghan law, the practice is widespread and women who refuse such marriages risk execution by their family. Amnesty provides a number of women’s personal accounts from interviews done in Afghan prisons, and concludes with recommendations.