| Women in Afghanistan continue to have lives that--in | | | | country's maternal mortality rate of 1,600 per |
| the words of 17th century philosopher Thomas | | | | 100,000 women. This compares with 7 per 100,000 in |
| Hobbes--are "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short." | | | | the United Kingdom and the United States. Afghan |
| With the possible exception of Sub-Sahara Africa, | | | | women must seek permission from husbands, fathers |
| Afghanistan is possibly the worst place in the world | | | | or brothers to see a doctor. If the men refuse, the |
| for females of all ages. The reasons for this | | | | women's medical needs remain unmet. In the rare |
| desperate state of affairs vary, but invariably they | | | | cases when Afghan women are allowed to go to a |
| include poverty, illiteracy, lack of health care and the | | | | clinic or hospital, they may be seen by female clinic |
| pernicious effect of religious fundamentalism. | | | | workers only. |
| Afghanistan is desperately poor. In 2009 the per | | | | Religious fundamentalism has its roots in poverty and |
| capita income was under $300 per year--too low to | | | | illiteracy, but also in the fear and suspicion that are |
| appear on international statistical charts. This figure | | | | part of the everyday lives of Afghan people. Women |
| compares with $4,990 in China, $11,450 in Poland, and | | | | have no rights, and they may be beaten with |
| $37,500 in the United States. The per capita income | | | | impunity by "religious police" if the women are not in |
| is unlikely to increase appreciably in the next 50 years | | | | the company of a husband or male relative; also, |
| because the country does not have a viable tax base | | | | religious police may beat Afghan women if they think |
| or the infrastructure that is needed to support | | | | the women are not dressed properly. Uniformed |
| economic development. | | | | police, if present, never interfere. |
| The amount of illiteracy in Afghanistan is startling. | | | | The United States is presently spending $10 billion |
| According to researchers with the United Nations, an | | | | monthly in Iraq and Afghanistan, but none of this |
| estimated 50 per cent of Afghan men cannot read | | | | money makes its way down to the impoverished |
| or write. The illiteracy rate for women is even | | | | women. The money is instead spent on a puppet |
| higher--estimated at 79 per cent. In areas of the | | | | army, a puppet police force, and a puppet |
| country ruled by the Taliban, girls are forbidden to go | | | | government. Also, an estimated 40 percent of U. S. |
| to school. The only instruction for boys involves rote | | | | taxpayer money sent to Afghanistan is skimmed off |
| memorization of religious tracts. | | | | by corrupt politicians and various warlords. |
| Women do not receive any meaningful health care in | | | | Afghan women have no hope, no future. |
| Afghanistan. One measure of this lack of care is the | | | | |