the name "Afghan" originally refered to the Pashtun people

refugees (country of origin): 283,590 (Pakistan) (2014)

IDPs: 818,163 (mostly Pashtuns and Kuchis displaced in the south and west
due to drought and instability) (2015)
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/af.html

The landmark Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women went into effect in
2009 but, aside from a few exceptions, most evidence shows it is largely unimplemented
and unenforced.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30371920

When Farzana* was 10 years old, her father, a farmer and labourer in a small village in
western Afghanistan, arranged for her to marry a man 40 years her senior. The groom,
already married and the father of six children most of them older than Farzana paid
$9,000 to Farzanas father in return for his daughters hand in marriage.
Child marriage is widespread in Afghanistan, with almost one in five women getting
married before age 15. Nearly 46 per cent are married by the time they are 18.
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/afghanistan_70031.html

mob of male attackers beat and kicked 27-year-old Farkhunda before tossing her off a
bridge, setting her body on fire and throwing it in the river
Thirteen police officials have been suspended in connection with the attack
the United Nations issued a statement condemning the killing "in the strongest terms."
the rise in cases of violence against women and girls in Afghanistan had become a "major
concern" and must not be tolerated
Violence against women is rampant in Afghanistan
http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/23/asia/afghanistan-woman-killed/
One of the most persistent reasons given to justify the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 by
the US-led force was to restore the rights of Afghan women. It made the overthrow of the
Taliban a just cause, it made Afghanistan the just war. Afghan women have known for a
while now that there have been few gains in this area. Farkhundas death, and the manner
of her killing, have now revealed this to the world.
the killing14 years after the so-called liberation of Afghanistanis the mark of a
society in deep and critical flux
brutal death reflects the flawed modernity and development
failed to address deep-rooted traumas for a generation raised in war, that have created
inequality and urban spaces, that are deeply dangerous not only for young women
http://qz.com/370034/the-awful-truth-about-post-taliban-afghanistan-one-lynching-at-atime/
Child marriage: More than 50% of Afghan girls are married or engaged by 12.

Almost 60% of girls are married by 16. Women activists say up to 80 percent of
marriages in poor rural areas are either forced or arranged.
Most girls marry far older men some in their 60s whom they meet for the first time
at their wedding.
A lack of security from three decades of war, and the risk of kidnapping and rape, has
also prompted many families to force their young daughters into marriage.
bartered into marriage to repay debt or resolve a dispute
it is not uncommon for young girls to be admitted to hospitals shortly after marriage in a
state of shock from serious physical injuriestearing and extensive bleedingand
psychological trauma. Young wives also have low status in the family and are more likely
to be abused by their husbands and/or in-law
According to Sharia law, a females testimony is worth that of a man
These discriminatory practices against women are pervasive, occurring across ethnic
groups in both rural and urban areas
reinforce harmful customs by invoking their interpretation of Islam. In most cases,
however, these practices are inconsistent with Sharia law as well as Afghan and
international law
In February 2009 President Karzai signed a law which affects several key rights of
Afghan Shia women:
* Denies women the right to leave their homes except for legitimate purposes;
* Forbids women from working or receiving education without their husbands express
permission;
* Explicitly permits marital rape;
* Diminishes the right of mothers to be their childrens guardians in the event of a
divorce;
* And makes it impossible for wives to inherit houses and land from their husbands
even though husbands may inherit immoveable property from their wives
the legal age for marriage for girls from 16 to 17. Men who want to marry girls under 17
are not entitled to obtain a marriage certificate, although many men simply do not bother
with officially registering their marriages
http://www.trustineducation.org/resources/life-as-an-afghan-woman/
the gains made by women since the fall of the Taliban regime are still limited and are in a
very real danger of being reversed as international attention shifts elsewhere
Women are still beaten, murdered, locked up at homes and sexually abused here, and no
one can stop these violations
the killing shattered any feelings of safety
culture of continued, unchecked violence, especially against women
report by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction released in
December cast doubts on how effective international aid really has been at helping
Afghan women
Nongovernmental aid organizations often have trouble making sure the money they pump
into womens programs gets to its intended recipient

Women in all walks of life face the threat of violence, with an estimated 87 percent
experiencing abuse such as domestic violence in their lifetime, according to Human
Rights Watch. And U.N. officials say such violence in on the rise. Women often face even
more problems from the authorities. Amnesty International reports that half of all
women imprisoned were arrested for running away from abusive family members. And
women police and government officials have been assassinated on a regular basis over
the past two years.
situation stands to become much worse if international aid and attention shifts away
activists fear that womens rights could be sacrificed in the name of making peace with
the conservative insurgents
http://www.stripes.com/news/middle-east/afghanistan/afghan-women-worry-aboutfuture-in-wake-of-brutal-killing-1.337000
Women are considered the property of the males in their family irrespective of their class,
ethnic, or religious group. The owner of the property has the right to decide its fate. The
concept of ownership has turned women into a commodity which can be exchanged,
bought and sold
Honor killings are perpetrated for a wide range of offenses. Marital infidelity, pre-marital
sex, flirting, or even failing to serve a meal on time can all be perceived as impugning the
family honor.
most marriages are arranged by fathers and money is often exchanged, a woman's desire
to choose her own husbandor to seek a divorcecan be viewed as a major act of
defiance that damages the honor of the man who negotiated the deal
nothing can be done to halt the practice because the concept of women's rights is not
culturally relevant to deeply patriarchal societies
Women accused by family members of bringing dishonor to their families are rarely
given the opportunity to prove their innocence
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/02/0212_020212_honorkilling_2.html

Differences among Pashtun clans and families have led to much violence and killing
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Afghanistan-to-BosniaHerzegovina/Pashtun.html#ixzz3XmiKhZ5v

Much of the oppression of women in Afghanistan is attributed to Pashtun practices: male

elders having a say over marriages of young women, high bride prices given to the father
of the bride, suggesting the sale of women into marriage, and honour killings of women
for purported sexual misconduct
Afghanistans entrenched traditional and customary practices constitute one of the
strongest sources of violence
There have been thousands of cases where women have been physically tortured, beaten
severely, brutally mutilated, burned alive or had acid thrown at themas well as being
forced to marry at a very early age, raped or sold into prostitution, with many engaging in
self-immolation as a resultand all in the name of namus. Women in Afghanistan, as in
other tribal societies, are considered bearers of the honour of the family and bound
within the associated chains of what is held to be sanctity.

provides opportunities for men to exploit, legally or illegallyincluding via the drug
trade, human trafficking, the black market and dealing in arms. Empowering girls and
women would take that away from them
more than 50% of Afghan girls married or engaged by the age of 12 and almost 60%
married by 16. Almost 80% of Afghan girls are forced or arranged into marriage with
men who are far older, some in their 60s
https://www.opendemocracy.net/opensecurity/shabnam-nasimi/devastating-truth-ofwomen%E2%80%99s-rights-in-afghanistan