I was reading about the discussion on sexual harassment law and their
implementation in Afghanistan to confirm news
floating around the social media about a new law to be passed or to be passed
in Afghanistan on sexual harassment. The discussions were stating that any man
who stares at a woman for more than 14 seconds that makes them uncomfortable will be charged with harassment and
should pay 10,000 AFN which is equivalent to almost $200 as a fine. The Ministry
of Women’s Affairs in Afghanistan rejected the accuracy of the news while they
confirmed that under the sexual harassment another law was passed that forbid the
discussions and comments on women’s look and clothing that makes them uncomfortable
in the workplace. The ministry stated
that the perpetrators would be charged
with 14,000 AFN as a fine and if they continue with this act, they will face three months of prison.
The reports
from Human Right’s Watch in 2016 highlight that 90 % of women experience sexual
harassment in public spaces in Afghanistan. It is a shocking number and there a
need for this issue to be addressed. Harassment was recognized as a
crime in Afghanistan in 2009, but the term is not clearly defined. In 2016 the Afghan
Parliament passed a bill defining harassment as “physical contact, illegitimate
request, verbal and nonverbal harassment, and any other acts that caused
psychological, physical damage and humiliated a
woman or child.” However, looking at this definition the terms are still not clearly defined given the patriarchal
norms and practices in the country with a high
number of violence against women.
In many cases, women keep quiet and
not coming forward to report the assault, rape or harassment cases as it is considered a dishonor and bring shame to the
woman and the family. At the same time, #MeToo movement is beautifying the system
in the US and many other countries which also started to impact women in
Afghanistan to get the courage and stand up for themselves either by admitting that
they were sexually harassed at some point or come forward to report.
Looking at the significance of #MeToo and its impact so far, I came across with an article from The New York
Times highlighting that #MeToo movement
brought down 201 powerful men which half of their replacements are now women. The
article mention that even the movement meets a crackling backlash at the moment,
it still could manage to challenge the long-standing
system perpetuating sexual harassment. Based
on the New York Times analysis at least 200 prominent men have lost their jobs
after public allegations of sexual harassment and a few, faced criminal charges. At least 920 people
came forward to say that one of these men subjected them to sexual misconduct. Moreover, nearly half of the men who have been replaced were
succeeded by women. This
analysis shows that the #MeToo movement shook, and is still shaking, the power
structures and patriarchy and hopefully
make its way faster to the country that patriarchy is ruling over the society.
The article quote
“We’ve never seen
something like this before,” said Joan Williams, a law professor who studies
gender at the University of California, Hastings. “Women have always been seen
as risky, because they might do something
like have a baby. But men are now being seen
as more risky hires.”
While the wage gap is a massive issue
in the US and many other countries, the article highlights that women tend to lead differently and better. In
general, they create more respectful work environments, where harassment is
less likely to flourish and where women feel more comfortable reporting it.
Female leaders tend to hire and promote more women; pay them more equally, and make companies more profitable. Women
bring their life experiences and perspectives to decision-making, and that can
help in business because women make the vast majority of purchasing decisions.
In government, women have been shown to be more collaborative and bipartisan,
and promote more policies supporting women, children, and social welfare. This looks
that workplace is way better with women, and hopefully,
movements like #MeToo fight the gender injustice
and inequality practiced in a different
form in different parts of the world.
References:
The
New York Times Website
Alarabiya
Website
Khabarnama
Website
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