Editorial: Violence rampant against women

Women account for about half of any population and play an important role in society. Afghanistan is a conservative society and its people follow outmoded traditions. Therefore, women who act as the repository of these traditions have undergone many miseries that men might not have borned. They face many problems such as domestic violence, compulsory marriage, lack of access to education, inheritance rules, and so on. Domestic violence leads some to resort to self immolation, escape or divorce. According to a survey conducted by the United Nations, the mortality rate among mothers is 500 per 100,000. That is why average longevity for women stands at 40 years, the age at which “life begins” in developed countries. In the last nine months, the UN reports there have been 101 self-immolations, 199 beatings, 266 miscarriages, 83 murders committed by men, and 21 rape cases. A huge number of such cases also go unreported, especially in rural areas where women lead especially difficult lives. In these areas, especially the more remote ones, there is a shortage of health and education facilities and transportation is poor. For instance, in places where there is no hospital, it takes hours on mule or horseback to reach a medical centre in a major provincial town, a very hazardous trip on poor roads for a sick or pregnant woman.