Customary Law vs. Actual Law

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/world/asia/in-spite-of-the-law-afghan-honor-killings-of-women-continue.html?ref=world

A tradition that we Americans would find strange still looms large today in other parts of the world: Arranged Marriages. The idea that a woman is totally controlled by her father until she marries...a man that is picked out for her. "They can marry girls off at birth, or at any age, with or without their permission, often making them bartered goods to solve family debts." In Afghanistan, this practice is not supported by law, the body of civil law enacted over the past decade with Western assistance, or the classic Islamic code of Shariah that is also enshrined in law. Both protect the rights of women not to be forced into marriage against their will. But still, of the 4,505 cases of violence against women last year alone, it includes "denial of relationship" and less than 10% are settled in actual court. The rest are settled outside of court and that brings us to the newly married (eloped) couple in the article. If you reject the customary law, there are only two choices for those who want to escape violence or the "honor killings" that occur in the country. You can either flee the country all together or go into hiding like this couple has done.

-Max Kachinske