President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, recently signed a law that legalizes marital rape. According to the article in the Guardian, the new law would make it illegal for a women to leave the house without her husbands' permission, they can only seek work, education or visit the doctor with their husbands' permission, and that they cannot refuse their husband sex. The new law is seen as a way for Karzai to appeal to extremist voters in the upcoming election. The UN is working to distinguish how to determine if this is a violation of human rights or not, and how to intervene without disrespecting Afghan culture.
