Afghan 'Rape Law,' Beating Of Pakistani Woman Reminders Of 'Cost Of Extremism,' NYT Editorial Says

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 17 Apr 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai's recent signing of a law that "effectively sanctions marital rape" and the public "flogging" of a Pakistani woman who "declin[ed] a Taliban fighter's marriage proposal" are "two recent reminders of the cost of extremism," a New York Times editorial says.

"Such behavior would be intolerable anywhere," but the U.S. is "heavily invested in both countries," the editorial says, adding that the cases "represent an officially sanctioned brutality that violates American values and international human rights norms" and "sabotage[s] chances of building stable, healthy societies in Pakistan and Afghanistan." The Times says that rather than defending the Afghan law, which states that a woman is "obliged to fulfill the sexual desires of her husband," Karzai "must ensure that it is rewritten to reflect principles of freedom and dignity for women." Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari "capitulated to political pressure" in the flogging case and "signed a regulation formally imposing Islamic law" in the town in which the incident occurred. It is unlikely the regulation "will bring peace, and it will certainly not make life better for Pakistani women," the editorial says.

According to the Times, the "one encouraging sign came last week" when Pakistan's Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry "publicly rebuked" officials for "inaction in the flogging case." The editorial adds, "We hope this was not just grandstanding and that [Chaudhry] and his supporters will find a way to make ... a powerful case for this victim's rights" (New York Times, 4/15).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

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