KANDAHAR - With the start of the 16 days global campaign for elimination of violence against women on 25 November, there have been a number of activities and campaigns being organized across Afghanistan.

With Afghanistan witnessing some worst forms of violence meted out to women – including underage marriage, honour killing, torture and baad (a practice of giving a woman as restitution for murder or other crime), Afghan rights organizations, elders and activists are making use of this 16-day campaign period to raise awareness about negative consequences of the violence.

Below are some of the activities carried out in Kandahar, Herat, Balkh and Takhar provinces.

KANDAHAR: ‘Majority cases of violence against women are honour killings and sexual abuse’

In the southern province of Kandahar, over 500 people including Government officials, Ulema (religious scholars), rights activists and journalists attended a ceremony on 26 November to commemorate the start of the 16-day campaign. A UNAMA-funded theatrical performance by a group of artists enthralled the audience, while raising awareness against violence against women.

The head of the Kandahar provincial Department of Women’s Affairs, Rukia Asakzai, told the gathering that most of the cases of violence against women emanated from family dispute between daughter in-law and mother in-law among other family reasons. While noting that there has been an increase in such cases in Kandahar of late, Ms. Asakzai said one main factor behind the increase is because of no-enforcement of national and international laws protecting women’s rights.

Abdul Qadar Noorzai of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said his Kandahar office received 325 cases of violence against women in the last year. “A majority of the cases were honour killings and sexual abuse,” said Mr. Noorzai.

The acting head of the Ulema Council of Kandahar, Mr. Bashir (one name), said the women had been given “high status” in the Islam. “The violence, which is currently taking place, is mainly due to lack of education on behalf of the perpetrators about Islamic teachings which don’t allow any form of violence against women,” he said.

HERAT: ‘More cases of violence reported to legal authorities’

Maria Bashir, who is Afghanistan’s first female prosecutor in western Herat province, told a gathering of 200 people in the province on 27 November that the number of cases of violence against women being registered with the legal authorities had increased this year. Ms. Bashir attributed the reason to “pro-active police” and more women coming forward to report their cases.

Ms. Bashir said that a special tribunal should be set up to try the cases of violence against women, adding that more women coming forward to register their case with the police and enactment of laws that protect women’s rights help solve the problem.

Speaking at the gathering, Shraifa Shahab of the AIHRC said strict law enforcement and ensuring the rule of law would deter the cases of violence against women in Herat.

The ceremony in Herat had started with the screening of a UNAMA-produced 30-minute documentary “Ten Years On: The Elimination of Violence Against Women”, which highlights various aspects of violence against women in Afghanistan and efforts undertaken to address them.

BALKH: Religious elders say Islam has no room for violence against women

A ceremony held in the Balkh provincial capital of Mazar-i-Sharif on 27 November to raise awareness about elimination of violence against women saw the presence of 400-strong women and men – many of them being imams and religious elders who said the Islam had no room for violence against women.

“Islam denounces violence against women, and religious leaders including imams have a moral responsibility to preach against such violence,” said Maulawi Hayatullah Qarizadah, the head of the Religious Affairs Department of the province.

The head of the Women’s Affairs Department, Fariba Majeed, said her office had recorded an increase in the rate of reported cases of violence against women in the northern region in the past few months.

Justice Fazelrahman Fazli of Mazar-i-Sharif’s appeals court said despite the courts handing down severe punishments to perpetrators of violence against women, it alone wouldn’t solve the problem “because it has roots in the nasty local traditions”.

On the occasion, a woman victim of violence, who now lives in a safe house, narrated her story about she was forced to marry her rapist.

TAKHAR: ‘Media has a role to bring about positive changes’

While reading out a message of Afghanistan’s Minister of Women’s Affairs, the head of the Takhar Women Affairs Department, Razmara Hawash, said the religious scholars and media could play a vital role in bringing about positive changes towards protecting women’s rights.

Speaking at a gathering of about 100 people including Government officials, religious scholars, women activists, journalists and members of the international community in the provincial capital Taloqan on 27 November, Ms. Hawash urged the media to increase advocacy efforts through news stories to minimize the violence.

A UNAMA representative, Brigid Kennedy told the gathering that violence against women was not only a family problem, “but it is a legal and social problem as well”.

Ms. Hawash said her office had received about 200 cases of violence against women this year, an increase from 168 cases registered during the same period last year.