Afghanistan's women still suffer threat of family murder

Family members are often the perpetrators of the murders of women they believe have 'shamed' the family

So-called 'honour killings' became culturally engrained in Afghanistan during the Taliban's hard-lined, punitive, conservative rule from 1996 to late 2001.

The entrenched belief is that girls and women bring shame upon their family if they do not marry a man chosen for them by their parents.

Often, girls are married off before they have reached
puberty, to men old enough to be their grandparents.

Women who naturally fall in love with someone not chosen for them are said to bring 'shame' on the family.

There have even been cases of women being murdered or their faces burned with acid for simply looking at men.

Often, the killings are carried out by the family of the woman, or sometimes by contractors or children who are too young to be prosecuted.

Beheadings, being stoned to death and being buried alive are some of the recent reported murders.

The Afghan government has long said it is committed to changing this barbaric entrenched culture, but campaigners warn the problem is systemic and will take years to overcome.

Considerable progress has been made since the collapse of Taliban rule in 2001 but changing attitudes could take decades.

Last year, the UN reported that cases of honour killings were on the rise - a 20 per cent increase in civilian casualties was reported among women and girls in Afghanistan in 2012.

Police and judiciary, particularly in rural southern parts of the country where the Taliban are most powerful, have been blamed for failing to properly prosecute perpetrators.

There is also a lack of awareness among women of their rights.