Friday, January 8, 2010

RAPE IN AFGHANISTAN

FROM: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/reuters/100108/canada/international_us_afghanistan_canada

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Rape occurs all too often in Afghanistan and is under-reported, but more victims are agreeing to report the incidents, a Canadian government report on Afghan human rights has concluded.

"Rape is widely believed to be a frequent occurrence, though its true extent is concealed by under-reporting owing to the social stigma attached to it," stated the 2008 report, publicized on Thursday.

"There does, however, appear to be signs of increasing willingness on the part of victims to report rape, and on the part of the authorities to investigate and prosecute some cases."

It cited President Hamid Karzai's call in 2008 for rapists "to face the country's most severe punishment," following a public outcry after a 12-year-old girl was raped in Sari Pul province.

The report, released after an Access to Information request by the Canadian Press, said self-immolation by women is increasingly being used "to escape their dire circumstances".

In Herat, it cited the head of the provincial hospital's burn unit as saying 80 women tried to burn themselves in 2008, many of whom died.

It said the British-based group Womankind had determined that 87 percent of Afghan women complained of being victims of violence, half of it sexual. It said more than half of marriages involve girls under 16.

On a positive note, it said that the number of girls in school had gone from near zero during Taliban rule to 2 million now, and total school enrollment had risen to 6 million from 1 million.

Canada has had troops in Afghanistan since 2002 and currently has 2,800 soldiers there.

*** Let's not forget the Afghan soldiers and the young boys. Still - it goes on and unreported not just in tribal Afghanistan, but in our own country - boys, girls no matter. Rape has always been used as a weapon of war and always the women have suffered. God will serve justice His way, rest assured. MS ***