Sexual Harassment of Women in the Streets of Kabul, Afghanistan Asian University For women (AUW)

Abstract

Sexual harassment of women is one of the most pressing problems for women in Afghanistan. Many women in Afghanistan not only suffer from illiteracy, gender discrimination at work place and patriarchal oppression at home, they also encounter different forms of harassment by men in the streets. This summer project research under the grant of Asian University for Women (AUW) aimed to explore the reasons and features of sexual harassment of women in the streets of Kabul from the perspectives of Afghan youth. This research surveyed about 90 students from different universities in Kabul, Afghanistan. The researchers also held several discussion meetings with different students of different universities, such as, Kabul University. The analysis shows that the reasons for sexual harassment of women are deeply rooted in gender inequality and patriarchy in Afghan family, community and tribal culture, and economic and social factors. The data and analysis are obtained from the relevant secondary data sources and the author's surveys and interviews in Kabul in summer 2019.