Violence against women up in western zone

HERAT CITY (PAN in the western zone increased by 10 percent, with 194 cases registered since March 21, a human rights activist official said on Tuesday.

Last year, 605 cases of violence against women were reported from Badghis, Herat, Farah and Ghor Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said.

Syed Abdul Qadir Rahimi told a news conference in Herat City the incidents included murder, suicide and beatings. Over the past three months, compared the corresponding period last year, violence against women has seen a 10 percent rise.

He said that 16 murder, 10 of self-immolation, 18 suicide, six rape, 14 elopement, 105 beating and 25 forced marriage cases were reported over the past quarter of a year.

Rahimi listed the absence of prosecution, poverty and lack of awareness about human rights, particularly in rural areas, as major reasons behind the rising level of violence against females.

A recent report from IHRC spoke of 39,000 cases of violence against women over the past nine years, including forced marriage, murder, self-immolation, beating and the use of girls as a dispute-settling mechanism.

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