Support the Women of Afghanistan

My latest painting, entitled... Enough!

I have been following closely the issue of women's rights in Afghanistan. I was outraged to learn yesterday that a repressive law has now been put into effect which gives Shiite men in Afghanistan the legal right to starve their wives if their sexual demands are not met and women must obtain permission from their husbands to even leave their houses “except in extreme circumstances”. The new law was signed by President Hamid Karzai.

While the situation has improved somewhat for Afghan women since the fall of the Taliban, Afghan women and girls need our help to secure their freedom and equality!

Here are some facts about the plight of women in Afghanistan:

• Women and girls are routinely sold or bartered to meet clan obligations, a practice that is technically illegal but widely tolerated.
• One in eight women die from pregnancy related causes, compared to one in 4,800 in the U.S.
• Most woman remain “invisible” and do not participate in public life.
• Although one million girls returned to school in 2002, some are still being attacked by militants who believe they should not be educated.
• 87 percent of Afghan women are illiterate
• Only 30 percent of girls have access to education in Afghanistan
• One in every three Afghan women experience physical, psychological or sexual violence
• 44 years is the average life expectancy rate for women in Afghanistan
• 70 to 80 percent of women face forced marriages in Afghanistan, some as young as eight.
• Rape and domestic violence are endemic.

Support the Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2009 (S. 229) which was introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and provides critical resources for Afghan women:

• Literacy education
• Technical and vocational training
• Health care services that would reduce maternal and infant mortality
• Programs to protect women and girls from sexual and physical abuse
• Programs against abduction, trafficking and exploitation
• Emergency shelters for women and girls who face danger from violence

Send an email or letter in support of this act and do your part to empower the women of Afghanistan! Take Action Now!