The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in reaction to the UNAMA’s remarks has said that the countries with a democratic governance system have more rate of violence and rapes against women.
“Democracies have the highest rates of violence & rape against women. 1 in 3 women in the US experience rape & violence, similar holds true for other democratic governments”, Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted .
Islamic governments are obligated to legislate safeguards to protect women from facing same fate, Mr. Balkhi said.
This comes as the United Nations Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in a statement published on Thursday called on the Afghan authorities to end gender based violence in Afghanistan.
Afghan government to take immediate steps to end violence against women and the broader deterioration of women’s rights as a vital part of efforts to establish a meaningful and sustainable peace, UNAMA said in a press release.
According to the UN, since the fall of Afghan republic government in 2021, women in in the country have had many of their most fundamental rights restricted or rescinded in a country that has one of the highest rates of violence against women globally.
Afghan women have also experienced a marked deterioration in access to coordinated, comprehensive and quality services for survivors of gender-based violence. At the same time, the demand for those services is higher than ever before, UN said in a statement.
“The fundamental rights of Afghan women need to be protected and concrete steps need to be taken for an enabling environment which is free from all forms of violence,” said Roza Otunbayeva, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan. “Protecting the rights of women is a crucial factor for stability, prosperity and any lasting peace in Afghanistan” said Otunbayeva, who is also head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
According to the local media reports, a number of women rights defender’s have recently been imprisoned by the Afghan government.
