Read more
The Pitfalls of Protection is an important contribution to the field of gendered change in Afghanistan. Torunn Wimpelmann provides detailed description and analysis of the processes of gendered law-making in a space contested by local, national, and indeed global actors and explains and analyzes deeply unjust and violent infractions on women’s bodies and lives while keeping a respectful distance and avoiding dramatization. Wimpelmann has written an excellent book."—Jelke Boesten, author of Sexual Violence in War and Peace: Gender, Power and Postconflict Justice in Peru and Intersecting Inequalities: Women and Social Policy in Peru
"This lucid, meticulously researched and immensely readable book deftly guides the reader through the maze of contradictions that mark the politics of gender in Afghanistan. It vividly captures the fluid and fragmented nature of the political terrain upon which women’s rights are being contested. Essential reading for those with an interest in Afghanistan, gender, gender-based violence and post- conflict governance."—Deniz Kandiyoti, Emeritus Professor of Development Studies, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
List of contents
Abbreviations
Note on Language
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Politics of Violence against Women
Part I. Legal Regimes
1. Intrusions, Invasions, and Interventions: Histories of Gender, Justice, and Governance in Afghanistan
2. “Good Women Have No Need for This Law”: The Battles over the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women
Part II. New Protection Mechanisms
3. Brokers of Justice: The Special Prosecution Unit for Crimes of Violence against Women in Kabul
4. With a Little Help from the War on Terror: The Women’s Shelters
Part III. Individual Cases
5. Runaway Women
6. Upholding Citizen Honor? Rape in the Courts and Beyond
Conclusions: Protection at a Price?
Notes
References
Index
About the author
Torunn Wimpelmann is a researcher at Chr. Michelsen Institute.
Summary
Showing why Afghan activists often chose to use the leverage of Western powers instead of entering into either protracted negotiations with powerful national actors or broad political mobilization, this book examines both the achievements and the limits of this strategy.
