daveman
Diamond Member
Afghan women rally, turning men red-faced with anger
KABUL In any other country, the sight of a group of women holding colorful placards, marching and protesting is commonplace.
But not in Afghanistan.
In fact, a womens protest on the streets of Kabul on Thursday was the first of its kind.
On a hot, muggy day, about 30 women of all ages mustered up the courage to speak up against the age-old indignity of sexual harassment by men.
With banners that read "This street also belongs to me" and "We won't stand insults anymore, they marched with a confident stride from Kabul University to the Afghan Human Rights Institute.
Women in Afghanistan face intimidation and sexual assault on a daily basis. In the most extreme cases, schoolgirls have been terrorized by men throwing acid at them as they walked to school.
The United Nations Population Fund in Afghanistan (UNFPA) says that about 31 percent of Afghan women suffer physical violence and another 30 percent suffer from psychological trauma.
--
As the women left the back streets of Kabul and entered one the citys busiest market streets, mouths were agape with incredulity (and I suspect possibly jealousy from under swiftly passing burkas). Red-faced angry men shouted insults and spat on the ground as they passed.
As they walked across the Kabul River, the broiling heat of the day gave an extra aromatic pungency to the rivers fetid still waters.
The women wrinkled their noses in disgust. A young woman protester who looked to be about 20 years old used her bright blue headscarf to wave the rotting smell away from my face.
She turned to me, dropped her scarf to her shoulders and said, This smell it is like Afghan man, yes.
But not in Afghanistan.
In fact, a womens protest on the streets of Kabul on Thursday was the first of its kind.
On a hot, muggy day, about 30 women of all ages mustered up the courage to speak up against the age-old indignity of sexual harassment by men.
With banners that read "This street also belongs to me" and "We won't stand insults anymore, they marched with a confident stride from Kabul University to the Afghan Human Rights Institute.
Women in Afghanistan face intimidation and sexual assault on a daily basis. In the most extreme cases, schoolgirls have been terrorized by men throwing acid at them as they walked to school.
The United Nations Population Fund in Afghanistan (UNFPA) says that about 31 percent of Afghan women suffer physical violence and another 30 percent suffer from psychological trauma.
--
As the women left the back streets of Kabul and entered one the citys busiest market streets, mouths were agape with incredulity (and I suspect possibly jealousy from under swiftly passing burkas). Red-faced angry men shouted insults and spat on the ground as they passed.
As they walked across the Kabul River, the broiling heat of the day gave an extra aromatic pungency to the rivers fetid still waters.
The women wrinkled their noses in disgust. A young woman protester who looked to be about 20 years old used her bright blue headscarf to wave the rotting smell away from my face.
She turned to me, dropped her scarf to her shoulders and said, This smell it is like Afghan man, yes.
.
