Vital Voices, an international NGO focused on women’s leadership, is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation for women and girls in Afghanistan.  A series of events over the last few weeks is indicative of the continued struggle that many women in our network in Afghanistan, as well as all Afghan women, endure.

Late in March, a law for the Shia community which includes a section that permits a husband to engage in sexual intercourse with his wife, regardless of her consent, was passed quietly by the parliament. What was not quiet was the outcry of the international community and women’s activists in Afghanistan, forcing President Karzai to call for a review of the law.

“The passage of this law was a huge shock for me,” commented Sadiqa Basiri Saleem, Vital Voices’ 2009 Rising Voices Honoree. “But, I was proud of how the women of Afghanistan stood up and spoke out against this law. It shows how far we have come.”

However, those women activists in Afghanistan are under tremendous pressure, such as Sitara Achakzai, women’s rights activist in Kandahar, who was killed earlier this month by a Taliban gunman. Even women who are not activists can be targeted for the way that they dress or what they say. As the security situation remains perilous, women and girls are often most at risk.

Vital Voices recognizes and will continue to shine a light on the brave work of the women of Afghanistan. We call upon the government of Afghanistan to honor its commitments previously made to women and to ensure their safety and rights as citizens.