(Image source: Wikimedia Commons / The White House ) BY CHARESSE JAMES Less than 15 minutes after a landmark women’s rights bill was introduced, the Afghan parliament halted all debate on the bill aimed at making violence against women permanently punishable. “Conservative lawmakers blocked a law aimed at protecting women’s freedoms. Opponents say parts of the bill violate Islamic principle … The law has been in effect since 2009 by presidential decree, but it has never passed in parliament.” (Via CBC ) The bill would have solidified the presidential decree banning violence against women, child marriages and the practice of selling women to settle disputes. As it currently stands, that decree could be scrapped by any incoming president, but it would be much more difficult to reverse if it were passed by parliament. (Via NPR ) The temporarily nixed bill took the 2009 decree a few steps forward — too far forward, if you ask the more conservative members of parliament. “Strongest opposition came from MPs who said the law was against the Islamic Sharia code … The decision to bring it to parliament split women activists, with some fearing it could take them backwards.” (Via BBC ) The Elimination of Violence Against Women Law, or EVAL, contains a few items that had members crying “anti-Islam” — provisions such as:   --using public funding to create domestic abuse shelters --reducing the legally permitted number of wives from four to two --permanently making 16 the legal marrying age for women --increasing prison sentences for crimes committed against women --charging men for rapes committed within a marriage --not charging unmarried victims of rape and sexual assault with adultery Since the Taliban was toppled 12 years ago, Afghan women have made notable strides, including gaining the rights to attend school and to enter the workforce. But there are fears that with the withdrawal of NATO forces, the status of women could decline. Al Jazeera points out without safety measures such as the ones proposed in the bill, women are still too afraid to use the freedoms now granted to them. Al Jazeera quotes the head of parliament's women's commission, who said: (Via KFXA ) “Today, the parliamentarians who oppose women’s development, women’s rights and the success of women ... made their voices loud and clear ... 2014 is coming, change is coming, and the future of women in this country is uncertain. A new president will come and if he doesn’t take women’s rights seriously he can change the decree.” According to Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, the 244-member assembly will look at the bill again at a later date, but he did not specify when.