Meshrano Jirga approves two draft laws

KABUL institutes.

Shafiqa Nawrozkhel, the deputy head of women commission of the upper house, tabled the bill on prevention of women and children harassment and asked lawmakers to approve the measure.

She said in the draft law, verbal, physical, written and photo harassment of women and children were considered crime.

A person involved in such harassment in public areas or transport vehicles would be fined five to 10 thousand afghanis, she added.

“If a person commits crime in workplaces, healthcare centers and education centers, he would be fine 10 to 20 thousand afghanis.”

Nawrozkhel said if a person frequently harassed women and children, he would be sentenced three to six months in jail.

She added harassment of women and children was a new phenomenon in Afghanistan and was no law curbing the practice.

The draft law was approved with a majority vote by the Meshran Jirga or lower house of the parliament in October.

The Meshrano Jirga also approved draft law on military higher education institutes.

Mohammad Hasham Alokozay, who heads defense commission, said some commission members differed over two words for university and college in Dari.

University and college is usually written and spoken in Pashto language, but the new law ordered Dari meaning of the two words be added to parenthesis in official letters.

Alokozay said the law was finally approved with a majority of votes.

Differences over words used for university and college have led to suspension of approval of the draft law of the Ministry of Higher Education for 10 years.

mds/ma