No means no... unless you're married to him

Afghanistan has taken a massive step back on women’s rights.

“It is one of the worst bills passed by the parliament this century,” fumed Shinkai Karokhail, a woman MP who campaigned against the legislation. “It is totally against women’s rights. This law makes women more vulnerable.”

President Hamid Karzai has signed a law which makes it “illegal for Shia women to refuse their husbands sex, leave the house without permission, or have custody of children.”

The new law essentially legalizes husbands raping their wives and implies approval for child marriage.

The bill was apparently rushed through parliament to appease Islamic fundamentalists ahead of elections in August.

It’s such an insult to the 116 Canadian soldiers who have died while trying to help the Afghanistan people and supporting the Karzai government - including the first Canadian woman to die in combat.

The law is apparently not yet in effect and International Trade Minister Stockwell Day is sounding like the Canadian government is taking this seriously.

“The onus is on the government of Afghanistan to live up to its responsibilities for human rights, absolutely including rights of women. If there’s any wavering on this point from the government of Afghanistan, this will ... create serious problems and be a serious disappointment for us.”

That ‘serious disappointment’ better translate into serious action if this law goes through. Like getting our troops the heck out of dodge and maybe asking for a refund on the $10 billion we’ve spent propping this government up.

Click here for more feminist righteous rage on this law.

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[Dwight]

Our government makes a lot of empty promises though ...