Afghan women take to motorbikes to raise awareness about domestic violence

Almost 4,000 cases of domestic violence have been recorded in the past 10 months, but many more are thought to go unreported

A wintry Kabul (REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail) (REUTERS)

This article first appeared on our partner site, Independent Persian

Afghan women are coming to the end of 16-day awareness campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence. The campaign, which began on 25 November ands ends on 10 December, features several events including a women’s motorbike riding display.

Ten young Afghan women from the remote province of Daykundi, central Afghanistan, took part in the display, which included men in the audience. It was an event designed to bring would bring people’s attention to the issue of women’s rights and was supported by Oxfam International.

It is rare for a woman in Afghanistan’s remote villages to ride a motorbike. In contrast, in the country’s mountainous areas where there are no proper roads, it is considered normal to use bikes. Despite this, for many Afghanis the thought of a woman riding a motorbike is strange.

Marzieh Hamdard, director of the Women’s Affairs Office in the Daykundi province, told Independent Persian: “This event was organised to show that riding a motorbike is a normal activity, and that women have the right to go about their day to day lives in an open, safe and better environment”.

The motorcyclists from Daykundi also called on other families to let their daughters learn how to ride bikes so that their lives could be made easier.

Around 60 years ago, the United Nations declared 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Every year, on this occasion, campaigns are organised with the purpose of creating a better world for women. Traditionally, campaigns are organised for 16 days from 25 November until 10 December which is Human Rights Day. These coordinated campaigns focus on tackling issues such as domestic violence.  

The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) announced last week that in the past 10 months, 3,888 cases of domestic violence have been recorded in the country. Taking into account the large number of cases that go unreported, the statistics are on the rise.  

According to officials from the AIHRC, crimes are becoming increasingly violent with 35 percent of recorded cases involving physical abuse such as murder, assault, mutilation, injury, or forced labour.

Translated by Tooba Ali, Edited and proofread by Celine Assaf