Family, community, state source of violence against women:UNIFEM

Kabul, Aug 14 (UNI) A new study on women, conducted by UNIFEM said the family, the community and the state are the primary sources of violence against women in Afghanistan.

Even though traditionally the family constitutes the only source of security in conservative Afghanistan, the study, relased here today, found that 82 per cent of the violence faced by women was from within the family.

The shocking figures reveal the extent of the problem in this country where women are likely to die twenty years earlier than their counterparts across the world.

Afghan women continue to be among the worst off in the world, especially in terms of health, deprivation of rights and protection against violence, in education and literacy and public participation.

While cautioning that the study, based on a survey, was not representative of the country because of the limitations of the sample size, UNIFEM however said the results should be viewed as an impetus to record cases of violence against women and develop informed policies to address the issue.

The lack of empirical data studies facilitated the ability of governments and societies to continue to dismiss or ignore the issue.

UNIFEM country director Meryem Aslam said despite policy declarations, violence against women remained widespread in Afghanistan and acts of violence continued to take place with impunity.

Violence affected women of all ages, class, ethnic and regional groups she said.

Ms Aslam also pointed to several customs intrinsically violent towards women such as the (badal) system under which a woman is given to settle a feud, or given as compensation for a crime(bad) or the practice of forcing widows to marry someone from the deceased husband's family. The formal justice system also needed strengthening.

According to the study 82 per cent of the violence, which includes physical assault, murder, sexual violence and psychological violence, was domestic violence with intimate partners accounting for 42 per cent of the perpetrators, while 9 nine emanated from the community.

Alternative support mechanisms were therefore essential and the state was also obliged to develop proper mechanisms policies, programmes and remedies that ensured access to justice for women, UNIFEM added.

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