Afghanistan’s President, Hamid Karzai, has signed a law which “legalises” rape, women’s groups and the United Nations say. President Karzai helped rush the bill through parliament to appease Islamic fundamentalists in his hope to win the August election.

It is a negative for women’s rights, “the new Shia Family Law negates the need for sexual consent between married couples, tacitly approves child marriage and restricts a woman’s right to leave the home, according to UN papers seen by The Independent.”