Afghanistan Politics? | 04/03/2009 9:10 am

Afghan President Signs 'Rape' Law, Say Critics

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Women’s rights groups are furious with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, who this week signed a law some say gives husbands permission to rape their wives. Yes, that’s right.

The law, according to some, insists that women have a duty to please their husbands. CBC offers a more detailed account:

‘As long as the husband is not traveling, he has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife every fourth night,’ Article 132 of the law says.

‘Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of illness that intercourse could aggravate, the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband.’

One provision says a ‘man should not avoid having sexual relations with his wife longer than once every four months.’

A State Department official here urged the president to review the law, saying, ‘We urge President Karzai to review the law’s legal status to correct provisions of the law that limit or restrict women’s rights.’

As if that’s not troubling enough, the law reportedly only applies to the Shiite. Karzai’s popularity has been sagging in the war-torn country and many observers see this new legislation as a political ploy ahead of this spring’s elections.

Read more about: Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, News, rape, Shiites, Sunni, women

20 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

"The issue of women’s rights is a continuous source of tension between the country’s conservative establishment and more liberal members of society. The Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 banned women from appearing in public without a body-covering burka and a male escort from her family.

Much has improved since then. Millions of girls now attend school and many women own businesses. Of 351 parliamentarians, 89 are women.

But in this staunchly conservative country, critics fear those gains could easily be reversed.

Fawzia Kufi, a politician who opposed the legislation, said several of its articles undermine constitutional and human rights of women as equals and take the country backward.

"All the efforts that were made in the last seven years to enhance women’s rights will be undermined," Kufi said.

Mr Karzai has not commented on the law. A spokesman, Waheed Omar, said the president is "aware of the discussion surrounding the law, and is looking into the matter."

://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/5097291/Hamid-Karzai-provokes-international-outrage-over-legal-rape-law.html

By deber B on 04/03/2009 9:21 am

e-mail alert

Reading this makes me want to cry out for these women…this is so very sad…..

By Libra Lady on 04/03/2009 9:24 am

e-mail alert

Why cant the topic just be about the women who has to suffer b/c of this law and not about Bush or anyone else? It makes me even more proud & happy that I live in America, where I can have sex with my hubby anytime I want or dont want.

By C Hardy on 04/03/2009 10:11 am

e-mail alert

It’s very sad when the household dog has more value than the woman of the house. I’ve read several books, one in particular "A Thousand Splendid Suns" will give you an insight to how these women are treated in the Middle East. After you read the book, you will hate these men. This author also write "The Kite Runner." Laura Bush realized that helping these women gain some status was a worthwhile project:

"A member of the foreign affairs committee of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, Saba is in Pakistan working with Afghan refugees still living in Pakistan. She said today: "It’s very sad that there is little discussion of Afghanistan except with events like this visit by Laura Bush. The last three years after the collapse of the Taliban have seen little change for most women in Afghanistan, especially outside of Kabul. [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai promised during the presidential election to get rid of the warlords, but they are in the cabinet. We are seeing rapes of girls, forced marriages, kidnappings and a dramatic increase in suicides among young women who see no way out. … We continue to have very poor medical facilities, little electricity. Thousands of children died during the cold of the last winter."

By deber B on 04/03/2009 10:25 am

e-mail alert

Karzai is a US sponsored, US educated Afghan who should know better. SHAME ON HIM. One wonders why this had to become a law anyways?

Not to be glib here, but maybe they had to legislate sex because the women are so rightfully angry and depressed (because their lives are miserable) and the men are so ICKY! Who wants to bed down with someone who can’t take care of their facial hair and who treat women like dirt? Not exactly a way to get a woman excited about the act.

Maybe he should have legislated "treat your wife like a princess" every four days. I bet if they did that, they wouldn’t NEED a law for the sex.

Sorry, I know this is a serious topic, but this type of thing never ceases to amaze me. Are these guys in Afghanistan so hard up for sex that they had to legislate it? Or is it just another way to control women… well, you know what the answer to THAT question is.

By nanchan u on 04/03/2009 10:47 am

e-mail alert

It’s all about male dominance….unfortunately. To be fair, there has to be some good men in Afghanistan who do not mistreat their wives. It is just that the bad ones are the only ones we hear about it.

By deber B on 04/03/2009 11:07 am

e-mail alert

It would be interesting to hear what people like Phyllis Schafly, Maggie Gallagher, Beverly LaHaye and the other anti-femists would have to say about this. They are devoted to promoting the patriarchy, so I wonder if this arena of marriage rights would cross the line for them.

By Rudi G. on 04/03/2009 1:41 pm

e-mail alert

UDATE!

Evidently, our friend Karzai has reevaluated his stance on this, thanks to the upcry about this here in the US.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090404/ts_nm/us_afghanistan_women_britain

You see, everybody! Sometimes, peaceful protest and outrage DOES work. We don’t have to go bashing windows to get the point across.

By nanchan u on 04/04/2009 12:20 pm

e-mail alert

Another update!

Deber, I hope you are reading today… the first cracks start to show….

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/04/president-oba-4.html

By nanchan u on 04/04/2009 6:26 pm

e-mail alert

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has." -Margaret Mead

By C jay on 04/05/2009 4:36 am