New Afghan Law Makes Spousal Rape Legal

2009-04-05 03:38:05 (GMT) (WiredPRNews.com - Law, News)

A law recently signed by the Afghan president reportedly legalizes spousal rape

A new law in Afghanistan is being criticized heavily by human rights groups for reportedly legalizing spousal rape.

Wired PR News – An Afghan law has come under fire by human rights groups and other critics who state it makes spousal rape legal. As reported by the Associated Press (AP), some groups and lawmakers in the country are alleging that Afghan President Hamid Karzai signed the controversial measure into law for re-election purposes.

As noted by the AP, the law is purportedly for the regulation of Shiite family life, and doe not pertain to Afghan Sunnis. Statutes most criticized in the measure include the article stipulating as quoted in the report, that a woman “is bound to preen for her husband as and when he desires.” The law is further quoted to state, “As long as the husband is not traveling, he has the right to have sexual intercourse with his wife every fourth night… Unless the wife is ill or has any kind of illness that intercourse could aggravate, the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband.”

Many have deemed the law a violation of women’s rights, and a threat to strides made in the past few years in regards to human rights in Afghanistan.

Photo Credit: R. D. Ward