Protected by the law, yet subjected to discrimination
“The citizens of Afghanistan, men and women, have equal rights and duties before the law.” So says the Afghan constitution, but are women really able to access their rights? My article for www.fokuskvinner.no , May 2014, "An overview of Afghanistan's constitutions and women place in the current constitution" For decades, women’s rights activists in Afghanistan have fought and bled to improve the situation for women in the war-torn country. In several ways, their fight has been successful. The current constitution (of 2004) forbids “any kind of discrimination and distinction between citizens of Afghanistan.” More recently, women’s rights were highlighted by all the presidential candidates—even the fundamentalists and those with linkages to insurgent groups such as Hezbe Islami and Taliban during the last election (5th April 2014). But is it just for show? Or are women in Afghanistan really able to claim their equal rights? Eliminating violenc