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Forbidden Females

By: Emily Kamen

Taliban Torture The Taliban considers themselves a religious army Took control of two thirds of Afghanistan and all of

Kabul Forbids drug use Collect a twenty percent tax from opium* farmers On September 27th the Taliban issued an edict that

forbids women from doing multiple things Because of the edict that forbids women and girls

from going to school, only fourteen percent of them can read and write

Women are not allowed to speak in public

*Opium is dried latex obtained from the opium poppy

Women are required to wear Burqas at all times

Burqas are a traditional headpiece worn in the Middle East

Head-to-toe covering of a females body

On the head part there is a small mesh opening for your eyes

Some women have been in accidents caused by poor sight due to the small opening

Women cannot have short hair

What Not to Wear

Women must be home by eight

o’clock in the evening All houses that shelter women must

have the windows painted over at all times

Health care is non-existent for women in the Middle East

There are about four thousand widows who can no longer support themselves or their family

Women die all the time from skin diseases due to lack of sunlight from wearing the burqas

The Place They Don’t Call Home

Unfair? Don’t CareWomen are not allowed to receive

medical help from male doctorsLess than 15% of births are medically

assisted in the Middle East In order to feed their kids and

themselves some women are forced into prostitution or become beggars

Men can take many wives although women are not allowed to take more than one husband

87% of women say they have experienced physical abuse

40% of women say they have been hit at some point by their husband

Most of the guaranteed freedom for women in the Middle East is not granted

Honor Killings and Killings Alone

• An honor killing is the killing of a family member, mostly females, due to the belief that they have brought dishonor to the family or community

• Iraq and Iran are where a large number of honor killings occur

• What kind of girl it is doesn't matter: a sixteen year old mentally retarded girl was raped then killed in Afghanistan

• Brothers occasionally do the killings because of the chance of a lesser sentence as they will be tried as a minor

• Everyday at least three women fall victim to abuse by males

• A woman prosecuted her husband after going to the United States to have extensive facial reconstruction. She is one of the few that lived to sue a male because of abuse

• A man once killed his wife because he had a dream that she had betrayed him

MEN’S MANNERS• Do not talk in public about women unless it is business

related

• Do not shake hands with a woman even if it is a business partner

• No flirting, touching or hugging women - there is no touching at all

• Do not have immediate eye contact with a woman

• Do not ask an Arab man about female members of his family - it is considered rude

• Do not look at women or discuss how they dress or how they talk

Murdered Mothers Murders go unnoticed in the public eye

for people in the Middle East Only male family members are the killers

because males hold the power Men are not punished for killing a female

or charged Female members of families support the

Honor Killings* because it shows great honor towards women

Men can buy and sell women - women are considered men's “property”

*Honor Killings are often done for pointless reasons such as murdering a female for being female, a bad mother, a disobeying wife, a bad listener, and more

*For reasons why, go to Why Me?

Why Me?

Pre-marital sex*

Martial infidelity*

Flirting

Doesn't serve meal on time

Disloyalty to husband

Complaining

Refusing to take orders

*Premarital sex is sexual intercourse engaged by persons who are unmarried

*Marital infidelity occurs when a married person engages in sexual activity with someone other than their marriage partner.

Reasons for honor killings and abuse

MARRIAGE MATTERS

Arranged marriages aren’t uncommon in the Middle East

In an arranged marriage, money is exchanged between families

Normally the fathers arrange it, having known each other though work, school, etc.

If the woman doesn't want to marry that particular man, or wants a divorce, it’s considered an act of defiance*

57% of marriages are with a girl under the age of sixteen even though 16 is the legal age to get married

A woman must be with a man or a male family member in order to leave the house

A woman's job is to raise children and be a homemaker not to work in the work force

*Defiance is intentional behavior or attitudeshowing daring or bold resistance

THE KIDS AREN’T ALRIGHT

Teen girls and little girls have been burned and poisoned for trying to go to school

57% of marriages are with girls under sixteen -- some unwillingly

Girls living in the Kabul Orphanage haven't been let outside since the edict was passed in 1996

Many families are eating grass because they don’t have enough food

Mothers may have lost their job so they may be forced into prostitution or begging

Laws Against LadiesWomen cannot: Show skin- if they show an ankle

even, they will be beaten Leave the house without a male

member of the family Have clear windows. The windows

must be painted over in black paint Speak to men unless spoken to;

cannot greet a man unless greeted first

Have any say in government or how their household is run

Choose their husband. Many marriages are arranged and it is not uncommon in the Middle East

Changing the World One Woman at a Time

• Women have recently been allowed back to work

• They don’t have to wear covering burqas anymore

• Since the fall of 2001, the situation for women (political and cultural) has improved

• More protests have been made for women's rights

• Women's abuse is starting to be a part of human rights

"Afghanistan ." AusAID: The Australian Government's overseas aid program. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. <http://www.ausaid.gov.au/country/country.cfm?CountryID=27886219&Region=AfricaMiddleEast>.

"Afghanistan Online: The Plight of the Afghan Woman." Afghanistan Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.afghan-web.com/woman/>.

Byrne , John . "Dubai | Dubai Tourist Information | Dubai Hotels." Dubai | Dubai Tourist Information | Dubai Hotels. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://dubai-livethedream.com>.

"Women in Business in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the UAE." Welcome to the online guide to Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the UAE - Grapeshisha. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2011. <http://www.grapeshisha.com/work-and-business/women-doing-business-in-dubai.html>.

References