HRW: women in Afghanistan in very bad condition

A new HRW report says that the situation of women in Afghanistan is very bad.

The report says that Afghan women continue to be "among the worst off in the world" and that "their situation is dismal in every area, including in health, education, employment, freedom from violence, equality before the law, and political participation."

The main reason is that the Afghan government has relied on conservative factions for political support and those factions are obviously opposed to women's rights.

The report says that in May 2008 President Karzai pardoned two gang rapists who had served only 2 years of an 11-year prison sentence. (another article on this case is here).

It also said that after the Afghan parliament passed the Shia Personal Status law, Afghan women’s rights activists were galvanized and mounted a successful campaign to
force the president to revise the law, aided by the outspokenness of countries like the US,
Canada, and various European nations. Unfortunately, the final outcome fell far short of
expectations, apparently because President Karzai was intent on maintaining the electoral
support of Shia fundamentalists. A month before the presidential election he issued by
decree an amended version of the law which still includes articles that impose drastic
restrictions upon Shia women, including the requirement that wives seek their husbands’
permission before leaving home except for unspecified “reasonable legal reasons.” The law
also gives child custody rights to fathers and grandfathers, not mothers or grandmothers,
and allows a husband to cease maintenance to his wife if she does not meet her marital
duties, including sexual duties.