Afghan gov't revises contentious marriage law (marital rape)

[Coventina]

Source: Associated Press

KABUL (AP) — Afghanistan's government has revised a marriage law that sparked an international outcry over sections that appeared to legalize marital rape, Justice Ministry officials said Thursday.

Women's rights activists welcomed the changes, which must still be approved by parliament, but many said while the government had deleted the worst violations, it has not done enough to guarantee women's rights.

President Hamid Karzai signed the original law in March but quickly suspended enforcement after governments around the world condemned the legislation. Though the law would only apply to Afghanistan's Shiite minority, many saw it as a return to Taliban-style oppression of women from a government that was supposed to be installing democracy and human rights.

The draft revision comes at the end of a three-month Justice Ministry review ordered by Karzai. The new legislation will need to be debated in parliament before it is signed into law, Justice Ministry spokesman Mohammad Reza Howeida said.



Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5ipQAYac1rjht9xsHiR3RRtXyFw3QD99B07JO5

[get the red out]

1. Theocracy cannot guarantee women's rights

It cannot happen. And in a theocracy men only think they have rights because the women are treated even worse.

We just need to get used to it because nothing can be improved.

[Gwendolyn]

2. The changes should be about as useful as the purpose of an Order of Protection is here. n/t