Every year, dozens of young women around Afghanistan are tested if they are virgin. Many Afghans respect it as cultural honor. Some believe virginity is sign of virtue for young unmarried women.
Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) called on country’s judicial organizations and Afghanistan Forensic Medicine Center to ban ‘unconditional test of virginity’. The AIHRC said virginity test is violation of human dignity.
Afghanistan is a conservative country where tribal code of conduct speaks louder than international norms and human rights values. Though medical doctors say there is no science behind virginity testing, it is common cultural practice in the country.
In a statement issued on October 08, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, the commission asks civil society organizations and human rights advocates to stand against the ‘unconditional test of virginity’.
Some women rights activists along with Afghanistan Human Rights & Democracy Organization (AHRDO), a Kabul-based rights organization, voiced supports for AIHRC’s call to ban virginity test.
Under laws of the country, virginity test is conducted by doctors in Afghanistan Forensic Medicine Center, the country’s only forensic center. But the myth surrounding virginity in Afghanistan is as old as the history of the country. For majority of traditional Afghan families, talk about virginity is a taboo, and conservative Afghan families regard virginity as pride of family and respect it as a cultural honor.
Many international organizations have repeatedly said that there is no science behind virginity test. The World Health Organization says virginity test is degrading act.
Every year, dozens of young women around Afghanistan are tested if they are virgin. Many Afghans respect it as cultural honor. Some believe virginity is sign of virtue for young unmarried women.
