KABUL // Afghanistan yesterday defended a government plan to take control of shelters for abused women, saying many women were tricked into leaving home and warning that the programmes were "rife with corruption".
Rights groups, however, said that the plan will undo important progress made on women's rights by placing victims of abuse at the mercy of a state lacking resources and often subject to the influence of misogynist powerbrokers.
It comes after accusations in the Afghan media that such shelters, run by foreign-funded non-governmental organisations, encourage immorality, prostitution and drug abuse.
Afghanistan's caretaker minister for women's affairs, Dr Husn Banu Ghazanfar, said the government had found numerous "violations" in the running of shelters.
She suggested tbat they had too much money and that it was unclear where some of it had gone. Though conceding that many women faced problems at home, Ms Ghazanfar said some were "deceived" into leaving.
"Some of them haven't had any problems in their homes, and later they apologise to their families and to us," she said.
Ms Ghazanfar said she personally had no evidence of prostitution or drug abuse, but she said such rumours had to be stopped.
"We won't let anyone do whatever they want under the name of a safe house," Ms Ghazanfar told a news conference. "We are able to defend the rights of our daughters and women."
The issue reflects suspicion in some segments of Afghanistan's society about the influence of Westerners who poured into the country after 2001.
The new regulation, which requires cabinet approval, would see victims of domestic abuse subjected to compulsory examination, barred from leaving without ministry approval and registered with the police.
They can be evicted if they are "accepted" back by relatives, or upon marriage, which for many Afghan women is forced. Some run to shelters to escape unwanted husbands.
Women suspected or accused of crimes would not be admitted. But running away from home is considered a "moral crime" in Afghanistan, like adultery, that women can be prosecuted for. Some women jailed for adultery say they were raped.
Human Rights Watch said the plan reflected the growing strength of conservatives within Hamid Karzai's government and was an overture to Taliban insurgents waging an escalating war against Nato and Afghan forces.
Some of the 14 shelters in Afghanistan faced closure if taken over by a government lacking the money and resources to run them, the group said.
An HRW Afghanistan researcher, Rachel Reid, said in a statement on Sunday: "The government is full of misogynist warlords and wide open to corruption.
"A government shelter is far more likely to cave in to pressure from families and tribes to hand back the victims, which will put women's lives at risk."
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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