Afghanistan: 180 violence on women cases registered in Takhar

http://www.pajhwok.com/

Violence against women has increased in northern Takhar province, where 180 cases were registered over the past four months, compared to 100 incidents during the same period last year, an official says. Takhar Women’s Affairs director Razm Ara Hawash told Pajhwok Afghan News during an interview that her department was deeply concerned about the increasing incidents of violence against the gender. The incidents registered included self-immolation, runaway from homes, beating, forced marriages and others, she said. Hawash said 16 women were murdered last year and four killed over the past four months. Earlier this year, a man shot dead his wife in Taluqan, the provincial capital, and another three women were found mysteriously dead elsewhere in the province. Similarly, an 18-year-old girl was found dead in Ghar district, six months after she had allegedly been forced to marry an imam, who had already two wives. Her killers are still at large, according to local residents. However, Hawash said the provincial women’s affairs department was satisfied with the progress being made by the judiciary, security organs and the media in dealing with incidents of violence against women and investigating them. Takhar police spokesman Abdul Khalil Aseer said most individuals involved in incidents of violence against women had been detained and referred to the judiciary. Last year, there were 4,500 incidents of violence against women and girls across the country, according to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AHRC). Hawash also mentioned some this year’s vocational courses for women aimed at improving their skills. She said the women who participated in literacy courses had been able to lead their lives on their own.