In a scorching rebuke to the traditional “science” of forcing Afghani women to undergo “virginity exams,” Human Rights Watch has strongly denounced the practice. For reasons that border on the ludicrous, women are routinely forced to undergo these exams, which are purported to identify “zina,” or sex outside of marriage. Reasons could include if a woman runs away, for instance. Never mind if she might have been running from an abusive situation at home, or even as the result of other sexual trauma. She would still be forced to undergo an examination that amounts to little more than a repeated sexual assault. Or in some cases, women have been forced to undergo the examinations just for sitting next to a man.