27 women’s murder cases registered in Parwan this year

CHARIKAR in central Parwan province, indicating a sharp increase in violence against the gender.

Two cases of murder of women registered in Parwan during the same period last year while so far this year 12 cases of women’s murder had reached the appellate court of Parwan in the first five months. One accused was sentenced to death, another to 16.5 years in jail and a third man to two years in jail.

Shah Jan Yazdanparast, Parwan Women’s Affairs director, told Pajhwok Afghan News  18 cases of murder of women were reported by police and the rest by district organs and local people to her department.

“These cases involved domestic violence and armed clashes as well as honor killings and happened in the capital and districts”, she said without going into details.

She cited illiteracy, unawareness about law, poverty and joblessness as main reasons behind violence against women, adding most of the women’s murder cases were perpetrated by drug addicts.

According to local officials, around 12,000 people are addicted to drugs in Parwan.

Yazdanparast expressed concern over the surge in violence against women and shared the story of a woman who was stabbed to death in public as an example.

“A 25-year-old woman Seema was brutally stabbed in the neck to death by her husband Farid in the main square of Charikar (provincial capital) in broad daylight. The woman was innocent and if she had committed any sin, there were legal institutes to follow her case,” she said.

She said police had arrested the murderer of the woman.

Mirajuddin, a resident of Charikar city and brother of Seema, said her sister left behind six daughters and two sons aged between two and 13 years.

He said the children of Seema were from her first husband and she married another man, Farid (accused of her murder) in order to care for her children.

As tears rolled down his cheeks, Mirajuddin said: “Now these children are parent less, I am caring for them, but my economic situation is not good, we ask the government to execute Seema’s murderer, my nephews always ask me why their mother’s murderer is not hanged.”

Lemah, 13, the elder daughter of Seema, said: “It was fourth day of Eidul Fitr and we were traveling from Parwan to Kabul in a Corolla car when our step-father, Farid, stabbed my mother on her shoulders, armpits and then on her neck, she started bleeding and I went unconscious seeing all that.”

Family members of Seema asked the government to execute her killer.

Farhad Hashemi, Farah deputy crime branch police chief, said 37 cases of violence against women had been registered with his department, including 18 cases that took place during the first five months of this year.

He said police had detained eight people including Seema’s husband in connection with the cases while eight others were on the run and four were under police chase.

Hashemi said some cases registered with the women’s affairs department were followed by police while others were resolved in local Jirgas (councils) without being referred to judicial organs.

Abdul Malik Rajabzada, deputy head of Parwan appellate court, said two murder cases of women were addressed by the court last year.

But he said 12 cases of murder of women were referred to the court during the first five months of the ongoing year.

He said four of the cases were addressed as one convict was awarded death penalty, one jailed for 16 and half a years and another for two years. Eight other cases are sub judice.

Rajabzada said the appellate court had sentenced Seema’s husband to death but his case was still under process.

Increase in women’s murder cases a matter of concern

Wahida Painda, a women’s rights activist in Parwan, expressed concern over the increasing murder cases of women and said the defenders of women’s rights did not work enough to reduce violence against the gender.

She said women’s murder cases would further increase if the departments concerned did not take action.

Abdul Ahad Farzam, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) head for Parwan, also said women’s situation in the province was great of concern.

He said the rights commission had started its investigation into violence against women in Parwan. Without going into details, he said AIHRC had also launched public awareness programs for reducing violence against women in Parwan.

Women’s murder cases happen in other parts of the country too.

According to an AIHRC report, 277 cases of women’s murder had been registered across the country last year.

mds/ma