Afghan Government To Revise Law Critics Say Legalizes Marital Rape

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: Sexual Health / STDs;  Public Health
Article Date: 21 Apr 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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Afghan President Hamid Karzai said that the government plans to revise a controversial new law that critics say legalizes marital rape in the nation's minority Shiite community, which accounts for about 20% of the Afghan population, CNN.com reports. Opponents of the new law, including many human rights organizations, say it is a way to prevent women from declining sex with their husbands and effectively legalize marital rape. The provision in question is part of a 270-page piece of legislation designed to "solidify the identity" of Afghan Shiites, according to CNN.com. Karzai said that he previously was not aware of the provision in the legislation, which he said has "so many articles." He added, "I have instructed, in consultation with clergy of the country, that the law be revised and any article that is not in keeping with the Afghan constitution and Islamic Sharia must be removed from this law."

On Wednesday, several hundred demonstrators, including some members of parliament and about 300 to 500 women from different parts of the country, marched through the capital to protest the law, while about 600 to 700 demonstrated in support of it, according to a spokesperson for the Afghan interior minister. President Obama and other international leaders have criticized the law. Obama called it "abhorrent," adding that "[t]here are certain basic principles that all nations should uphold, and respect for women and respect for their freedom and integrity is an important principle." German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy also have expressed their opposition to the law (CNN.com, 4/16).

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