mr president gender responsiveness is a measure of good governance anywhere in the world but even more so in afghanistan after the suffering endured by women for decades there
there cannot be true peace and recovery in afghanistan without priority being given to respecting the human rights of women
this shia family law allows marital rape approves child marriage and bans wives from stepping outside their homes without their husbands permission
women's human rights and dignity cannot fall victim to pre-electoral negotiations with islamic fundamentalists
the international community present in afghanistan must put much more pressure on president karzai and the afghan authorities to come up with proper laws which respect the human rights of women and policies that are committed to enacting those rights and respect their dignity
like the shia family law the delaying of the afghan media law which was passed by the afghan parliament months ago by two thirds of the parliament is a tool by president karzai to continue control of the state media vital propaganda ahead of the presidential elections
the international community cannot allow this to go on
this law is fundamental to ensure that there is freedom of expression and of the media in afghanistan
without that anything that we are doing in afghanistan is not worth it
it is crucial that action is taken on these two laws and that the international community makes sure that the authorities in afghanistan abide by their commitments by their words in terms of human rights and respect in particular the rights of women
