Police rapes a girl in Takhar, Women are sold in Faryab

Womankind Worldwide says millions of Afghan women and girls continue to face systematic discrimination and violence in their households and communities. Guarantees given to Afghan women after the fall of the Taleban in 2001 have not translated into real change.

BBC NEWS, Oct. 31, 2006

According to a report from the Northern Province of Takhar, tens of people staged a demonstration to protest rape of a girl by police in the Dasht-e-Qala district of this province.

The angry protesters asked the officials to remove the district chief and head of police for misuse of their power and corruption and prosecute the police who have raped the girl.

Gen. Mujtaba Fatang, head of police says the police has not raped the girl but has gone to a brothel but has not raped anyone.

Also it is reported that selling of women has become very common in Faryab province in north of Afghanistan and each woman is sold up to 50,000 Afghanis (around US$1,000).

Sharifa, head of women’s affairs department in Faryab is concerned and says that violence against woman have not been reduced but abuses and humiliation against them increase day by day.

Says explains that most of the girls sold are between 5 to 15 years old and poverty, lack of women’s rights and domestic violence are main factors behind it.