Afghan Women's Freedom In Jeopardy

(CBS)  For Afghan women, the fall of the Taliban brought historic change, CBS News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Lara Logan reports. More than two million girls are now in school. Some women are able to work - even in the most public of jobs.

Others can now enjoy the simple feminine pleasures they were denied. In the cities, a growing number of women cover only their heads - instead of their whole bodies. All of this would have been unthinkable under the Taliban.

CBS News Special Report: The Road Ahead

"Women couldn't move out of their houses, couldn't move around freely, and alone," said Dr. Massouda Jalal.

Jalal was jailed by the Taliban for her work helping women and children. She remembers their cruelty - women being publicly executed during the height of Taliban power.

After their defeat, Jalal became a symbol of how much had changed for Afghan women. In 2004, she was the first woman to run for president, finishing well ahead of most male candidates.

She was appointed Minister of Women's Affairs - then removed for pushing too aggressively for women's rights.

"We have provisions protecting women's rights and promoting women's rights within the constitution," said Jalal. "But, it's not translated into action."

Female prisoners in Kabul today seem to have no rights at all.

Kamela, is just 29 years old. A mother of two, she left her life in Canada to return to her homeland when the Taliban fell. All it took to put her behind bars for 3 years was her husband's word - he accused her of stealing from him.

"After I was imprisoned he got married to another woman," she says, "I think he wanted to get married so he put me here."

Even more disturbing: violent attacks against women and girls continue today.

Atifa Bibi lies in a hospital, her face badly burned. She and a friend were victims of an acid attack late last year as they walked to school.

Her wounds have healed - but she no longer goes to school. She told us she has nightmares almost every night.

"It cannot go away, every minute, it is with me," she said.

Rates of violence against Afghan women are among the highest in the world.

So is the maternal mortality rate. Three years ago we traveled to the remote province of Badakhshan because it has the highest maternal mortality rate ever recorded - that remains true today. 6,500 deaths per 100,000 births, compared to just 13 deaths per 100,000 in the United States.

The medical staff told us most of the women here are forbidden by their husbands from coming to this clinic or from seeing male doctors.

In spite of these barriers, there has been progress. The number of Afghan women with access to newly built clinics has risen in recent years. But so has the influence of the Taliban. As the fight for control of this country intensifies, the small, fragile gains achieved by women and their most basic human rights - are threatened.

More special coverage on CBSNews.com:
Medevac Helicopter Crews Saving Lives in Afghanistan
Marines in Afghanistan: A Day in the Life
Taliban Gaining Firepower and Confidence
Battle of Wanat - Inside the Ambush
Afghanistan, 8 Years In: How We Got Here

[diamruby]

The problem all over the world is men that are using religion as a way to justify their unsaitable need for power & violence. The "God" of choice for them is "Satan". There is no exuse for the torture,raping & other horrific deeds of babies, women & childen going on in these countries. They could not continue to do these things if the government did not allow it. The women need to unite & start eliminating these men from the face of the earth, they need to be in charge of their lives or they will not have any reason to be on earth.

[armyoftwelve]

Spoken like a man-hating feminazi!

[DoubleHappiness88]

Until Afghanis grow a backbone and defend themselves against RELIGIOUS TYRANNY, no amount of help from egalitarian societies will help them.

The US and others are wasting time, money and lives on people unwilling to stand up for themselves.

[1badgirl]

Americans have not rid ourselves of religious tyranny yet
the difference?
one group wears rag on the head
the other wears a ball cap
both seem to have an affection for pick ups

[docpeter1953]

These women don't need soldiers they need for us to send feminists there to solve their problem(s).

[jazz2blues]

Didn't Lara Logan notice this (see below) a couple months back, from the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan?

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai Passes Controversial Law Limiting Women's Rights
ABC News
Aug. 14, 2009
http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=8327666

(snip)
A controversial bill that Afghan President Hamid Karzai promised to review before implementing quietly became law last month, allowing police to enforce language that stipulates a wife's sexual duties and restricts a woman's ability to leave her own home.

Karzai had promised to send the bill to parliament before it was published, but this week women's rights advocates learned it had already become an enforceable law despite heavy international and national criticism.

The Shiite Personal Status Law, which applies to the country's minority Shiite women, was originally even more pernicious than the final version. In March a western embassy translated a portion of the law as defining a woman's role as "readiness for sex and not leaving the house without the husband's permission."

Instead, the final language requires Shiite women to give their husband "their sharia rights" when it comes to sex, a reference to Islamic law. And it allows women to leave their own homes "according to local customs."

But human rights advocates say the new language is just legal cover for husbands to subjugate their wives...
(snip)

[demongirl60]

I agree that the women have to take a stronger stance against stuipity. THEY have to stand up and say "ENOUGH"! Maybe arming those girls over t here wouldn't be such a bad idea. And TAKE OFF the tents and head covers.... by wearing them they are just encouraging more abuse and stupid rules against them. I am not ashamed of being female and neither should they. Hmmm.... maybe they should form roaming gangs and go around beating men with sticks....

[fuzzyi]

PURE PROPOGANDA FROM THE WESTERN PRESS AS USUAL. HOW ABOUT GIVING THE TALIBAN THERE POINT OF VIEW. THE DEFEAT OF THE WESTERN OCCUPIERS WILL LEAD TO MORE LIES BEING LEVELLED AGAINST ISLAM AND MUSLIMS.

[armyoftwelve]

When your drugs wear off, try undoing the CAPSLOCK key.........

[pnut134]

What bothers me is that there is no criticism from the Muslim world for the barbaric actions of the Taliban and Al Queda. We hear nothing from Muslim communities or countries. By their silence they are helping to perpetuate the evil side of Islam. They field no soldiers to defend their faith against those who make a mockery of it. They provide no money or assistance to help defeat them. In fact, a lot of the money that supports the Taliban and Al Queda comes from the mid-east Caliphates, several of whom America provides assistance. Islam itself is the root of the problem, and until the moderate Muslims take a stand against terror and persecution done in the name of Allah, they deserve no respect as a religion or a people.

[spaceatoms]

I don't hear about the Chinese getting involved in issues like this, so why is it such a concern to the United States. The United States is a nosey country, we go around the world putting our noses in other peoples business, I don't see China or India doing this. And as for the DOW, this country has been in nothing but trouble since it went up, so it seems like it needs to go down to get better!

[ffoulkes-2009]

China isn't exactly the best choice you could have made as a comparison...

[democracy1]

If we hadn't reduced our strength and focus by diverting our troops to a war of choice in Iraq, we'd have been able to accomplish MUCH more in Afghanistan by now.

(GGrimaldi, your partisanship is showing.)

[rwsmith29456]

People all over the world suffer indignities that we don't have to here. I'm sorry about the plight of Afghan women but don't see that as any of our business. I think that before people tried to turn the war against terror into a general human rights issue or even a women's right's issue BUT THAT AIN'T WHY WE ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. Looks like they are making the same argument again. Children in other countries are killed if they are considered worthless and, as horrible as that is, we as a country should not take that as a right to invade a country by force.

[missme4]

They sure are trying to push the Afghan war this week. I expect to see little puppies and kittens being slaughtered in Afghanistan by the evil Taliban next week. Maybe C B S will show the Talibad throwing live babies in McDonald's dumpsters next. Oh wait...That's what we do in america.

[democracy1]

It may not be "the reason" that we are there, but my god, are you truly that heartless? These women are among the bravest people that I can imagine when you consider the consequences that they may suffer.

So nice for you to dismiss them in your nice little comfortable life!

It has very little to do with how you feel about our wars there. These women still deserve your respect and have more courage and dignity than you could ever imagine. So please ****!

[wdh3007]

Why is this news Afghanistan has been like this for ages how about something more important like tentative inspection programs allowing Russia to visit U.S. nuclear sites by this administration that CBS CNN & MSNBC won't report.