United Nations Radio

A new UN report says violence against women in Afghanistan is widespread and often goes unpunished.

Afghan women

The report, prepared by the UN mission in the country, and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, focuses on violence against women in public life and rape committed with impunity.

To some extent, pressure on women is coming from the Taliban. But the report notes that there are other conservative groups to blame as well. Rupert Colville, spokesman for the office of the high commissioner for human rights, says some women are intimidated by their own family members:

"by colleagues and then by unknown people . they've been getting night letters, threats by telephone, etc and you know some quite well-known cases - a very popular tv presenter murdered after receiving threats; people forced to give up their jobs, people forced to flee the country."

The High Commissioner stressed that the Government of Afghanistan has a duty to eradicate these practices by making them illegal, by educating the population and by safeguarding the rights of women and girls.

Diane Bailey, United Nations

(duration:1'05")