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In the name of Almighty Allah

Respect your mothers, sisters, wives and daughters,
they are also human!

With great regret, that the Afghan parliament didn’t approve the law on Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW) on its general session on Saturday, May 18, 2013.

The opposition of a number of MPs caused the law not to be approved by the house of people; they were claiming that some of its articles are in conflict with the Islamic principles.

At the meantime, women suffers many types of violence in Afghanistan, which are also contrary with the Islamic values, and yet violence against women is one the most common problems in Afghanistan.

In order to fulfill their civic duty and understanding the negative deep impacts of violence against women in our society, the civil society institutions have taken their continues measures and effortsto find a fundamental solution for reducing and eliminating the culture of violence against women and misogyny in the country. One of the fundamental and civil solution that the civil institutions are agree on, is the existence of a law and an appropriate judicial structure, to fight this inhuman phenomena of violence against women.

The draft of the law on Elimination of Violence Against Women, which has also been signed as a legislative decree by his Excellency president Hamid Karzai, is the outcome of the non-tiring efforts of the Civil Institutions & groups, civil activists, Human Rights Activists and conscious women of Afghanistan. The conscious womenand the Civil Society of Afghanistan consider the approval of this law as a sign of national attempt for eradicating the culture of misogyny in Afghanistan and executing itsinternational commitments and it was called a strong pillar for a human society without gender discrimination.

The Civil Society & Human Rights Network, which is consisted of 112 active civil society institutions across the country, while considering the opposition and delay on approving the «law on Elimination of Violence Against Women» a serious concern, would like to draw the attention of the involved parties and responsible institutions to the following points:

1. The national assembly particularly Wolesi Jirga, is a law making institution, and has a great responsibility against its citizens and country. The Civil Society & Human Rights Network of Afghanistan demand the MPs especially those, who are against the approval of Law on Elimination of Violence Against Women, to perceive their depth tasks in respect with a law, that is to provide a secure and respectful life for women, therefore, ask them to remove their opposition with adopting the mentioned law.

2. CSHRN has realized that women as a human, as a Muslim and a citizen of this homeland, suffers from violence, inequality, discrimination and other inhuman conducts in the country, hence, CSHRN request the Afghan National Assembly to deal with women’s problems in Afghanistan as a huge social problem and never let the suffering women to become victims of political and ideological inclinations of some certain groups once again in the country.

The Civil Society & Human Rights Network of Afghanistan is concerned over the fall justifications of a number of MPs, which constitute the main part of opposition against the Law on Elimination of Violence Against Women claiming the some articles of the law is in conflict with the Islamic Values, and consider such acts as personal, non-democratic and contrary to the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

3.  The Civil Society & Human Rights Network of Afghanistan thanks and appreciates the democratic institutions, intellectuals and academic institutes for their sustained efforts for creating and approval of the law on Elimination of Violence Against Women. CSHRN, urges the mentioned institutionsto keep on their endeavors for removing violence against women, and make efforts for convincing MPs and adoption of this important law and do not let the main rights and liberties of women to be sacrificed of the desires of backward-oriented groups.

4. The Civil Society & Human Rights Network of Afghanistan would like the president to play his constructive role for approving the law on Elimination of Violence Against Women and appreciatethe constitution of Afghanistan.

Hope to put an end to gender discrimination!

Civil Society & Human Rights Network of Afghanistan

May 21st , 2013

Kabul Afghanistan