Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
Afghan Marriage Law Passes Husband Can Starve Wife
Share:
by Barbara McPherson | August 18, 2009 at 09:50 am
1081 views | 54 Recommendations | 4 comments
With media attention focussed on the upcoming Afghan elections, President Karzai has passed the controversial marriage law with some ammendments. It does allow a man to withhold food and money from his wife if she denies him sex.
The new law includes a section saying that a husband must provide financially for his wife. It also says that he can withhold this support if she refuses to "submit to her husband’s reasonable sexual enjoyment," according to a translation of the article supplied by New York-based Human Rights Watch.
In Afghanistan, where most women are uneducated and depend on their husbands for food and clothing, the article could be used to justify a husband starving a wife who refuses to have sex with him.
It appears that President Karzai used a loophole in the Afghan Constitution to pass the marriage law by decree, by-passing the parliament which is not in session.
Shinkai Kharokhel, a lawmaker who has been involved in reforming the legislation, said no one from the administration told her that the law was being approved without further debate. Instead, she had to learn thirdhand that the law she had been fighting was now in effect.
While the marriage law applies at this time only to those following Shiite practices, it is feared that the subjugation of women could return to the extent seen under Taliban rule.
The Shiite Moslems are a sizable ethnic group in Afghanistan. While President Karzai is from a different ethnic group, he has recieved support from influencial Shiite clergy in the past.
It's beginning to look as if the rights of women in Afghanistan are being shunted aside in a bald move to gain re-elction.
NP Previous Coverage:
Worse Than Taliban New Law Rolls Back Afghan Women's Rights
Advertisement
NowPublic on Facebook
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Related Stories
Recommendations (54)
everchanging
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Yuliya Talmazan
Burnaby, Canada
LCoastMom
On a beach, in Sunny, California,
158
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke
Redwater, Alberta, Canadamarianmo
Mission, Canada
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 14:26 on August 18th, 2009
You are correct Sara, the human male (some) needs to stop treat females as possession and or beneath them as a gender. The growing pains of humanity does seem to be losing in some parts of the world regarding issues with women right and equality, but that has only proven to strengthen the bond within the women who are free to fight for these women like these in this story.
at 14:41 on August 18th, 2009
This is a sad setback in what looked like a situation finally turning for the better. Makes you wonder if this was personal as he used a loophole...
at 17:49 on August 18th, 2009
At the least a strange law.
at 20:55 on August 18th, 2009
Well yah know, wives are a dime a dozen and women are no more than a possession. If she's not submitting to his reasonable sexual enjoyment she isn't going to be good for much.
Maybe when she gets a little hungry his demands will seem more reasonable and if she had a kid for him recently, she'll get that trim and slim pre-baby body back more quickly. Can't have a fat cow wife embarrassing him, don't yah know.
This law does make me wonder if someone was having a little wife trouble so he gets the ear of the prez who needed a platform with the Shiites. It's a win-win situation for him. His next step after being re-elected will be to make this law apply to anyone who wishes it to be so.
Divorce, which is almost non existent in a Muslim house hold, will become a thing of the past. So much easier to stop feeding her, than it is to divorce her anyway. And cheaper too.
Those damn Americans with their women in the military. Showing up here getting rid of the Taliban was all good, but they just always over stay their welcome. Giving Muslim women ideas, just by their very presence. Male soldiers having to answer to female officers, it's not right, not good for Muslim men for their women to see disrespect like that. Just who do they think they are anyway? You would think, that big burly American soldiers wouldn't put up with that. You would think those American soldiers would put an end to those behaviors. Send those women home, Put them in the kitchen with a bun in their oven. That will show them where they belong.