Parliament Approves Anti-Harassment Protecting Women, Children

The Lower House of Parliament approved an Anti-Harassment Law protecting Women and Children.

The law prohibits the harassment of women on the street, at work, and via the Internet and telephone.

“This issue has not been considered as a crime and we [should] consider it a crime. Those who harassed women and children commit a crime,” said Fawzia Kofi, chairman of the Women Affairs Commission of Parliament.

Women now have the right to complain if they are faced with instances of harassment. The law prohibits the following types of harassment:

3rd article of the law: “Harassment is defined as physical contact, verbal abuse, verbal or any act that causes harm the mental, physical and insulting human dignity of women and children.”

A: Illegitimate demand; demanding a non-mahram woman to do something that is sexually motivated.

B: Physical contact; touching a non-mahram woman’s body or intentionally damaging the surface of the female body.

C: Verbal abuse to harm the psychological security of women (sitcom humor sentences, explicit descriptions of the female body and telephone harassment.)

D: None-verbal abuse: to showcase images or offensive content related to sexual issues in the media, social networks or email.

Those who commit the crime of harassment will be subject to a fine ranging from five to ten thousand Afghanis. Repeat offenders are subject to imprisonment.

The Ministry of Interior in coordination with the Women Affairs Commission of Parliament is suppose to provide a special contact number to women and children for the implementation of this law. 

“The interior ministry will consider a special contact number for the implementation of this law,” Kofi added.

Reported by: Farahnaz Forotan