Karzai does little to improve controversial Shia marriage law

Articles in the original version required a wife to submit to her husband’s advances every four days and stated that she could not leave the house without his permission.

President Hamid Karzai promised to reform the law in the face of intense international pressure. The Afghan cabinet passed the amended Shia personal status law in secrecy earlier this month.

But despite some contentious clauses being removed,it still states that a man need not support his wife financially unless he has “access to her”.

Women in traditional rural Afghan society rely on their husbands for support.

The new law also still gives rights of guardianship entirely to fathers and grandfathers. By stipulating blood money should be paid for underage girls who are raped,human rights groups allege it also implicitly sanctions child abuse.

Brad Adams,Asia director of Human Rights Watch said: “This review process has been shrouded in secrecy. The result is that,despite some modest improvements,many key amendments proposed by civil society groups and parliamentarians have been ignored,and some of the most repressive provisions remain.”

Under the Afghan constitution,the country’s 10 per cent Shia minority is allowed to settle family affairs under its own jurisprudence.

President Karzai was accused of signing off the controversial law to win the support of Shia voters,who are a potentially critical swing vote in the August 20 presidential election.