Increase in Honor killings in Baghlan province; 7 cases in only 2 months

BAGHLAN(SW): Recently in Baghlan province, the honor killings, rape, and domestic violence against women have increased. Some women’s rights activists in this province worrying about the increased in violence against women said that in the past two months only, 7 women have been murdered mysteriously although two cases of rape have been recorded.

Razia Noori, one of the women’s rights activists in an interview with Salamwatandar expressed concern that the failure addressing cases of violence against women, murder and rape in this province have caused increased cases of honor killings.

Nadera Nahrinwal, another women’s rights activist in this province said that recently number of cases of violence against women has increased but the local government has done nothing to prevent it. She said that in the past two months she has witnessed several assassinations and rape on girls and women.

Local officials in Baghlan province are ignorant of the cases of violence against women, women rights activists said. Also, Uranus Atifi, the Director of Directorate of Women Affairs in Baghlan, said the inability of police to arrest the perpetrators of murders of women in the districts has caused the perpetrators to commit crimes repeatedly.

According to Ms. Atifi, since the beginning of the year, more than 150 cases of violence against women, including murder, rape, beating and suicide have been registered with the Directorate of Women’s Affairs of Baghlan. She added that out of 9 cases of murder only 7 of it occurred in the last 2 months.

Bilal Sediqi, the spokesperson of the Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan with concerns about the increased cases of violence against women in the north of the country calls on the judiciary and law implementing branches to end the culture of impunity.

Baghlan Police spokesperson, Zabihullah Shuja, said three people were arrested for killings of three women, and the perpetrators of the killings of five other girls are fugitives on the run and efforts are underway to arrest them. But Mr. Shuja denies the inability of police to detain the accused.

Nahrin districts, central Baghlan, Khenjan, Khost and Pul-e-Khumri districts of Baghlan province recently witnessed an increase in the number of honor killings. In recent weeks, several women and girls in these districts have been killed by spouses, family members and a number of unidentified gunmen.

In the latest case, a number of people in Nahrin district after raping a 12 years girl murdered her and brutally had beaten her sister who is only six years old.

ENDS