A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

Background on Afghanistan's Women and Girls

"Many people outside the country believe that Afghan women and girls have had their rights restored. It's just not true," said Zama Coursen-Neff, the counsel to the Children's Rights Division of Human Rights Watch. The end of Taliban rule was expected to bring rights to Afghan women and girls but instead discrimination has persisted to today. While this is the case, it does not mean that women are passively accepting their situation. Organizations like the Afghan Women's Network (AWN) and women like Sadiqa Basiri are fighting hard for their rights, most importantly the right to an education.

During the years under the Taliban (1996-2001), Afghanistan's women were subjugated to extreme Islamic fundamentalism that denied them basic rights such as the right to education and work. They were also not allowed to leave their home without a male relative and were required to wear a burka, or else be faced with persecution by the religious police.

Going further, men and women were divided into separate hospitals and male doctors could not treat women unless they were accompanied by a male relative. This was only relaxed after the international community showed its disapproval.

Before the Taliban came to power in 1996, women made up half the students at Kabul University as well as half the government workforce. Thus, the Taliban represented a major reversal in the struggle for women's rights and empowerment in Afghanistan.

After the fall of the Taliban and the institution of a new Afghan government, women's rights are back on the agenda. Women now have the right to vote, attend school and work.

Unfortunately, these rights are usually confined to Kabul since rural women still face fear of punishment by fundamentalists including underground Taliban forces still active in the country. For instance, there have been attacks on women voters and election workers as well as arson attacks on schools that educate girls. Moreover, in the Herat Province women's groups are being censored, women are being pushed out of the administration and women leaders are facing intimidation.

Despite these setbacks, women are continuing to pursue their rights. The Afghan Women's Network (AWN), an organization created in 1996, works towards including women in society and protecting women's rights. For instance, they have criticized the proposed Ministry of Vice and Virtue, pushed for free maternal health care and have provided educational opportunities for women. AWN member, Sadiqa Basiri has also started a girls' school that began under AWN auspices and is now a thriving set of schools.

Obviously, the dedication and hard work of these women is a testament to their desire to break free from discrimination that they have experienced for far too long.