OpenForum – a blog by the Health and Human Rights community

Signed by President Karzai in March, Afghanistan’s Shia Family Law contains provisions that legalize marital rape and child marriage, and require women to get permission from their husbands to leave the house. In light of protests in Kabul and intense international pressure, Karzai has agreed to review and amend the law, which affects the Shia Muslim minority.

After initially defending the law as being misunderstood, Karzai later explained that he was unaware of some provisions when he signed it. During a press conference in Kabul on April 27, he made assurances that the new law will be in line with human rights treaties and the Afghan Constitution, which guarantees gender equality. We have yet to see whether these amendments will actually do so. In Afghanistan, opponents of the law include women, hundreds of whom protested in Kabul and faced stoning from male counter-protesters, as well as officials and legislators who claim it represents a return to oppressive Taliban-style rule.

With a backlash against Western interference by both backers and opponents of the law in Afghanistan, it remains unclear how proponents of international women’s rights can best support Afghanis in their own fight against rights violations. Read more