WUNRN
PRESS
RELEASE: UN
19 June 2012 - The United
Nations in
Last year, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs,
working in close coordination with civil society, women’s groups and the
international community produced a regulatory framework for women’s shelters
that gave the Ministry a leading role in monitoring and oversight of all
shelters. After months of engagement, including by President Karzai, a sound
legal basis to ensure that shelters are run in a transparent and accountable
manner was agreed. So far, there have been no reported violations of the
regulation.
The Government of Afghanistan,
particularly those ministries with responsibilities for administering the
criminal justice system have an obligation to put in place mechanisms for
effectively preventing violence against women and protecting the rights of
Afghan women and girls, especially victims of all forms of domestic violence
and sexual abuse. This includes ensuring the full implementation of the
Elimination of Violence against Women Law and the various protection and
support services that it provides for, including protection shelters for
vulnerable women and girls. Official public statements should serve the
interest of Afghan women and promote the implementation of laws that protect
their rights.
Strategic Communication and
Spokespersons Unit
United Nations Assistance
__________________________________________________________________
AFGHANISTAN - JUSTICE MINISTER MAKES DISPARAGING COMMENTS ON WOMEN'S SHELTERS - WOMEN'S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS OUTRAGED
Afghanistan's Justice Minister
Habibullah Ghaleb has claimed women in shelters for domestic violence victims
are prostitutes.
By
Dean Nelson, South Asia
Editor - 21 June 2012
Afghanistan
Justice Minister comments at a conference organised by the Afghan parliament's Women's Affairs
Committee provoked outrage among human rights campaigners and demands for
President Hamid Karzai to sack him.
Mr Ghaleb told delegates that 250 women living in 12 foreign-funded shelters were being encouraged to disobey their parents.
"Mostly they were encouraging girls, saying, 'If your father says anything bad to you don't listen to him, if your mother says anything to you don't listen to them. There are safe houses for you where you can stay.' What safe houses? What sort of immorality and prostitution was not happening at those places?" he said.
Baroness Ashton, the EU foreign minister, said she was "deeply troubled" by his comments which sabotaged efforts to protect women from violence and sexual abuse.
"Too many Afghan women have experienced violence, gender based and sexual, often on a repeated basis," she said in a statement. "Women forced to resort to shelters are amongst the bravest Afghans we know."