For the Western World, it is hard to understand and embrace how premarital sex can be a crime in countries like Afghanistan. But that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of sex and love crimes in Afghanistan.
For example, rape is not banned in the country. Quite the contrary. According to the Shia Family Law, Shia women must have sex with their husband at least once every four days. The only exception is illness. Women face double risk when it comes to rape. They can be victimized by the society.
In 2015, US soldiers were told not to react when they see a rape crime on the streets. They were also told to ignore sexual abuse.
Love Crimes of Kabul is a documentary that addresses these questions. The documentary is an intimate portrait of three young women. All three of them are accused of committing “moral crimes” which involve premarital sex and running away from home. The documentary follows their story from prison to trial, and shows the pressures and paradoxes that women in the country face on a daily basis.
