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The appalling situation of women in Afghanistan

All the signs out of Afghanistan point to a country falling into rack and ruin. The Taliban is emerging as strong as ever, the local war lords are still as powerful as they were previously, security in the country is appalling and the military, both local and American, seems unable to curtail the ever-increasing violence.

The position of women in the country is no better either - despite all the munitions, armies and money thrown at the country to bring it democracy, etc. As the SMH reports today:

"The youngest woman in the Afghan parliament has used International Women's Day to slam the "disastrous conditions" for women in her country and ask Australians to help bring change.

Malalai Joya, 28, told a conference at Sydney's Darling Harbour today there has been "no fundamental change in the plight of Afghan people" since the US removed the Taliban five years ago.

"Afghan women and men are not 'liberated' at all," Joya said. "When the entire nation is living under the shadow of gun and warlordism, how can its women enjoy very basic freedoms?"

Joya said the women's rights situation was as "catastrophic" as it was under the Taliban.

She gave the death of 18-year-old Samiya, who hanged herself before she was to be sold to a 60-year-old man, and the rape of children as young as 11 by the US and international troops as examples."

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