{"id":1129,"date":"2017-11-03T07:06:23","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T07:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/?p=1129"},"modified":"2017-11-03T07:06:23","modified_gmt":"2017-11-03T07:06:23","slug":"outrage-at-video-of-afghan-colonel-sexually-exploiting-woman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2017\/11\/03\/outrage-at-video-of-afghan-colonel-sexually-exploiting-woman\/","title":{"rendered":"Outrage at video of Afghan colonel sexually exploiting woman"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"hide-on-mobile\">\n<div class=\"hide-on-mobile\">\n<header class=\"content__head tonal__head tonal__head--tone-news\n\n    \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"tonal__standfirst u-cf\">\n<div class=\"gs-container\">\n<div class=\"content__main-column\">\n<div class=\"content__standfirst\">\n<p>Graphic video apparently shows official having sexual intercourse with a woman reported to have been pressured for sex after asking for a promotion<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__main tonal__main tonal__main--tone-news\">\n<div class=\"gs-container\">\n<div class=\"content__main-column content__main-column--article js-content-main-column \">\n<div class=\"js-score\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"js-sport-tabs football-tabs content__mobile-full-width\"><\/div>\n<figure id=\"img-1\" class=\"media-primary media-content()  \">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"maxed responsive-img\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/9e75c363d183f01439f74896e55ac2bc45ca5cbf\/0_102_2200_1320\/master\/2200.jpg?w=300&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=b51ba158c4fb0ec450b4530194971a4b\" alt=\"Afghan women\" \/><\/div><figcaption class=\"caption caption--main caption--img\">Studies say as many as 90% of Afghan women have experienced mistreatment. Photograph: Reuters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"content__meta-container js-content-meta js-football-meta u-cf\n\n    \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"meta__extras \">\n<div class=\"meta__social\">\n<ul class=\"social social--top js-social--top u-unstyled u-cf\">\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--facebook \"><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--twitter \"><\/li>\n<li class=\"social__item social__item--email \"><\/li>\n<li class=\"js-social__secondary social__item social__item--more js-social__item--more\"><button class=\"meta-button social-tray__button\"><span class=\"u-h\">View more sharing options<\/span><\/button><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"meta__numbers\">\n<div class=\"meta__number js-sharecount\" title=\"Facebook: 446\">\n<h3 class=\"sharecount__heading\"><span class=\"sharecount__text u-h\">Shares<\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"sharecount__value sharecount__value--short\">446<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"u-h meta__number\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"byline\"><a class=\"tone-colour\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/profile\/sune-engel-rasmussen\" rel=\"author\">Sune Engel Rasmussen<\/a> in Islamabad<\/p>\n<p class=\"content__dateline\">Thursday 2 November 2017 <span class=\"content__dateline-time\">14.39\u00a0EDT<\/span>Last modified on Thursday 2 November 2017 <span class=\"content__dateline-time\">19.30\u00a0EDT<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__article-body from-content-api js-article__body\">\n<p>A video of an Afghan government official appearing to sexually exploit a female employee has sent shockwaves through <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/afghanistan\">Afghanistan<\/a> where sexual harassment is rampant but rarely discussed in public.<\/p>\n<p>The video, which went viral, is a daring accusation in a conservative society where victims of abuse are often stigmatised.<\/p>\n<p>Even government institutions, which have received vast sums of foreign aid intended to be used in the empowerment of women, seemingly do little to fight harassment and abuse in their own offices.<\/p>\n<p>In the graphic video, an air force colonel is seen apparently having intercourse with a young, unidentifiable woman who surreptitiously recorded the encounter and gave the footage to a colleague.<\/p>\n<p>Several of the colonel\u2019s co-workers confirmed that he had pressured the woman for sex when she approached him for a promotion.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know he has done this many times [with other women]\u201d said one pilot, requesting anonymity. Another pilot told the Guardian that the colonel, who has been named in local media, is known to line up girls in his office and taunt them with derogatory jokes. Both said they had not spoken out before, out of fear of reprisal.<\/p>\n<p>The ministry of defence has said it is investigating the allegations. The woman did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p>The video immediately prompted outrage. Yet, to most Afghan women, the experience of harassment is depressingly familiar: studies suggest that up <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2015\/12\/21\/when-it-comes-to-sexual-assault-afghanistan-is-all-talk-and-no-action\/\">to 90% of Afghan women<\/a> have endured mistreatment everywhere from school and workplace to prisons and \u2013 rampantly \u2013 on the streets.<\/p>\n<p>Harassment is likely one of the main obstacles to boosting a female workforce. Since 2001, women\u2019s participation in the Afghan labour force <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/data.worldbank.org\/indicator\/SL.TLF.TOTL.FE.ZS?locations=AF\">has increased only slightly<\/a>, from 14.5% to 17.6%.<\/p>\n<p>Harassment deters women from seeking work, but also diminishes their autonomy by discouraging men from letting wives, daughters and sisters work, due to risks to the women and, by extension, the family honour.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor Afghan women, it\u2019s a double-edged sword,\u201d said Noorjahan Akbar, a US-based activist. \u201cIf you speak out, people say, \u2018see I told you we shouldn\u2019t let women work\u2019. And if you don\u2019t, people say, \u2018of course it will continue if you don\u2019t speak out to support other women\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In some ministries, being asked for sexual favours in return for job or promotion \u201cis like a prerequisite\u201d, said one woman who has worked in various government institutions for years. \u201cIt is very hard to get appointed unless you have backing,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you don\u2019t have powerful relatives, you will have to sleep with someone powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sexual advances also come from younger peers. \u201cIf you turn them down, they badmouth you,\u201d she said, recounting a male colleague interrupting a suggestive conversation between women at the office by exclaiming: \u201cWhy don\u2019t you talk to me about it? Or better yet, come show me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the female official refused, the man went to their boss and claimed she drank in public \u2013 an offence in Afghanistan. \u201cThey don\u2019t even give girls the chance to explain themselves,\u201d Akbar said.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item \">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/eb18963428da8c3abac25564ba691ba2d2b0ea92\/118_317_4680_2809\/2000.jpg?w=460&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=698e3ec4cf612cec7e6dce983e73d66f\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\">\n<h1 class=\"rich-link__title\"><a class=\"rich-link__link\">Afghan artist dons armour to counter men&#8217;s street harassment<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__arrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Anti-harassment activism is almost non-existing in Afghanistan, partly because it is dangerous. In 2015, Kubra Khademi, a young artist, <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2015\/mar\/12\/afghan-artist-armour-street-harassment-walk-kubra-khademi-kabul\">walked for eight minutes outside wearing steel armour<\/a> in protest against the groping and leering she endured every day. Afterwards, Khademi received so many death threats she fled the country.<\/p>\n<p>It will remain dangerous for women to report harassment as long as there is impunity for perpetrators, said activist Selay Ghaffar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf a member of parliament, who is abusing a woman, is prosecuted in public, others wouldn\u2019t dare,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Impunity has also been aided by the international community. US military commanders have been known to tell soldiers to ignore sexual abuse of boys in the Afghan security forces. Service members who reported abuse <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2015\/09\/21\/world\/asia\/us-soldiers-told-to-ignore-afghan-allies-abuse-of-boys.html?_r=0\">have been disciplined and had their careers ruined<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Some argue that misogyny in Afghanistan is a result of cultural, sexual repression. But Akbar said that is a \u201cbogus\u201d argument.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA lot of people argue that sexual harassment is widespread in Afghanistan because men don\u2019t have a way to release themselves sexually, but sexual harassment is a global problem,\u201d she said. \u201cYou cannot argue that in the US, men don\u2019t have a way to release themselves sexually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s about ownership of women\u2019s bodies. If a woman goes into a public space, her body is automatically seen as public property,\u201d said Akbar, who also founded <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.freewomenwriters.org\/\">Free Women Writers<\/a>, a blog for young Afghan writers where harassment is a consistent theme.<\/p>\n<p>The Afghan government has taken steps to empower women, including a bill for the elimination of violence against women, decreed into law in 2009 but not passed by parliament.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, the government does little to implement its policies, said Ghaffar. Platitudes about women\u2019s rights were primarily meant for western donors, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have some very misogynist people in power,\u201d she said. \u201cFor them, women\u2019s rights is a business.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<header class=\"content__head tonal__head tonal__head--tone-news\n\n    \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"tonal__standfirst u-cf\"><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content__main tonal__main tonal__main--tone-news\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Graphic video apparently shows official having sexual intercourse with a woman reported to have been pressured for sex after asking for a promotion Studies say as many as 90% of Afghan women have experienced mistreatment. Photograph: Reuters View more sharing options Shares 446 Sune Engel Rasmussen in Islamabad Thursday 2 November 2017 14.39\u00a0EDTLast modified on Thursday 2 November 2017 19.30\u00a0EDT&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2017\/11\/03\/outrage-at-video-of-afghan-colonel-sexually-exploiting-woman\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1129","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1129"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1130,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1129\/revisions\/1130"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}