Afganistan: Access to Justice for Afghan Women

Even after the removal of the Taliban, Afghan women still suffer a range of human rights abuses that are not protected by Afghanistan's system of justice despite the fact that their newly ratified Constitution declares women's equal rights.  Today, women and girls are being trafficked into prostitution. They are being forced into marriage to settle family debts/disputed and imprisoned for running away from forced marriage.  They are often trapped in abusive and forced relationships or forced to commit suicide as the only means of escape. 

Although Chief Justice Shinwari is the supreme guardian of the rights enshrined by the new Constitution, he has made it known he does not approve of women's rights/protections including banning women from singing/dancing in public; banning any cable shows that show scantily-clad women singing/dancing in musicals; suggests women should cover themselves full except face and hands and states women cannot travel for more than three days without a husband or a male relative she cannot legally marry.  He also states that adulterers should be stoned to death and he has tried to remove any presidential candidate from the ballot who believes in women's equal rights in marriage and divorce.  Help me urge President Karzai to replace Chief Justice Shinwari as well as any other judges who do not uphold their country's Constitutional rights for all women.