‘Violence against women rampant’

VIOLENCE and systematic discrimination against women was rampant in Asia last year, ranging from acid attacks in Bangladesh to forced abortion in China, rape by soldiers in Nepal and domestic beatings in Australia, Amnesty International said yesterday.

The group’s annual assessment of the state of human rights in the world reported abuses against women from almost every country in Asia.

The largest section was devoted to their plight in Afghanistan, where the ousting of the conservative Islamic Taliban regime in 2001 by US-led forces did little to bring relief to women.

“Fear of abductions by armed groups forced women to restrict their movements outside the home,” Amnesty said. Even within families, “extreme restrictions” on women’s behaviour and high levels of violence persisted, it said.

In all regions, but particularly in western Herat, hundreds of women set fire to themselves to escape violence in the home or forced marriage, it said.

Australia did not escape the blight either.

In October, a UN-coordinated survey revealed 36% of Australian women had experienced violence in a relationship.