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Ahmad Masood / Reuters
Afghan women clad in burqas walk past a tree in Bagram, north of Kabul on Jan. 3, 2012.
KABUL, Afghanistan – With increased pressure for a U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and potential peace talks with the Taliban, many Afghan women fear their newfound rights could be jeopardized.
Since 2001, Afghan women have made many gains after years of being ostracized and banished from society under the Taliban. Now women are back in the workforce, back in schools and have a sizable representation in the government – things that were all forbidden during the Taliban’s five-year rule.
But the gains are fragile and only represent a small percentage of the population.
According to one United Nations estimate, nearly 90 percent of Afghan women suffer from some sort of domestic abuse – some analysts believe that number may be even higher – making Afghanistan one of the most dangerous places to be a woman.
And although the Afghan constitution provides women equal rights, various government agencies, institutions and many individuals do not abide by those rules.
The latest shocking example of that is the news that a young woman in northern Afghanistan was murdered by her husband and mother-in-law for giving birth to a third daughter and not a son.
Stories like that one, as well as fears about what negotiations with the Taliban could mean for women’s rights, have urged Afghan female parliamentarian, Shinkai Karokhail, and dozens of Afghan women activists from all walks of life, to share their concerns with President Hamid Karzai to try to make him an active player in their plight.
Pushing for action
“Day by day we are a witness of more violence against women around the country,” Karokhail said. “Not only women should raise their voice, what about the president [him]self?”
This past month Karzai invited the women activists to his palace along with religious leaders from the country. Karzai requested the religious leadership’s attendance because he knows they are the most influential element in this conservative Islamic society. The group of women shared stories of the hardships faced by Afghan females, presenting him with a photo album of women and girls maimed, exploited or killed because of cultural and religious ignorance.
According to those who attended the meeting, the pictures and stories “visibly moved” the president. And it drove him to suggest that religious leaders work with women to encourage awareness among Afghans about the importance of women’s rights.
“[They] have to give awareness of the real Islam,” Karokhail said of Afghanistan’s religious elite. “Because in Islam we have lots of rights for women, but what Afghans are doing [is the] opposite of that.”
Karzai announced this past weekend that he will hold a conference in February focused on Eliminating Violence against Women, an announcement welcomed by the international community.
Ahmad Masood / Reuters
Women and children wait for transportation as it snows in Kabul on Jan. 22.
Karokhail hopes by working with religious elders they can begin an awareness campaign by using the media, mosques and even the legislature to educate Afghans that the Islamic religion forbids such treatment of women.
Uphill battle to end violence against women
But it’s not just the Taliban they have to convince. Their mission is to help change a cultural mindset – a mentality that has been affected by three-decades of constant war.
On the streets of Kabul, the country’s capital, 35-year-old Shekaib, an Afghan man, admitted to NBC News that women have been treated badly by the various regimes that took control.
“Their rights have been stepped on,” Shekaib said. “The international community helped many Afghan women raise their voices against those who stepped on their rights.”
But he says that if the international community abandons the cause for Afghan women when the foreigners leave, those women will suffer from the same hands they spoke up against.
“I am sure if they leave the situation will get bad and unsafe for [women],” he said.
Although foreign governments and their militaries now seldom bring up the plight of Afghan women as they try to wind down their efforts in Afghanistan. Afghan women and their supporters know that if they don’t keep speaking up and fighting for their own rights their future may be as bleak as their past.
“Women have the most to lose,” said Manezha Naderi the executive director for “Women for Afghan Women” which provides shelter for abused women throughout the country. “History has shown that they lose the most – their education, their freedom and the same thing can happen again.”
Naderi, an Afghan-American, has been working in Afghanistan since 2003 and is worried by the lack of interest shown lately by the international community.
“Afghan women are human beings and Afghan women were part of the reason we came here,” she says. “We have a responsibility to make it right for the women and children.”
Naderi has made Afghanistan her home now and is raising three daughters here. She says she can’t give up on this cause because she is now fighting for them as well.
“I’m not going to give up now, or tomorrow, or ever in my life,” she said. “Women’s rights can’t be shoved under the rug.”
She just hopes the world will listen.
Leave a Comment:
Guess there hasn't been enough "honor" killings yet, men over there are getting lazy.
The treatment of women all over the world has traditionally as a lesser person. Yes, we've come a long way, but how many female Presidents have we had? A--zero. 43 white men and 1 man of mixed ethnicity is our heritage. Women couldn't vote of own land until 65 years after slavery was outlawed.
As far as Afghanistan, they're still in the Middle Ages in society's views. Misogyny sucks, but is present in every country of the world.
The Taliban equivalent of the Super Bowl is to fill Kabul's soccer stadium with the most neanderthal of their cult converts (all male) who yell and cheer as those judged 'sinners' (mainly women) are forced to kneel while their throats are cut.
That's the reality of the Taliban (active in Pakistan and Afghanistan) in the 21st century. Perhaps that most useless of all world bodies, the UN, should declare such religious cults 'outlawed' and offer as bounty several one ounce gold coins for every pair of Taliban ears mailed to their offices.
What we should do is arm Afghan women and teach them how to use guns. Give them the power to fight back. Those slimy men who are beating and killing them can slink back to the dark ages where they came from. Don't count on Karzai to do anything. He's as bad as the rest, he only pays lip service to try to placate the masses and the U.S. He's a crook and he got to where he is by being a crook.
Disturbed Librarian, I could not agree more. We have enought female troops that we could use as trainers and put the entire Afghan defense forces under their control. If the Afghans males don't like it, wipe them out by the 10s of thousands.
Women can be just as mean as men, and I for one would like to see them run the show. It is obvious that the swinging dicks can't do jack but beat women so I say let the women have at it.
Would that include the right to renounce Islam?
I'm tired of the rubbish they spout about women's rights under Islam when the facts on the ground paint a very different picture.
Islam is stupid and savage.
I got the impression Karokhail was trying to sell the "religious elite" on the idea of treating women better. The religious elite seem to be the ones who will declare how the women of that country are treated.
What rights are they? The rights of woman to produce 7 male witnesses that a she is raped. The rights to go out unchaperoned by a male relative? The rights to vote on her own free choice, to go to school and not become illiterate. to cover up from head to toe? To be killed when some male talk to her?. Is all hog wash that these islamist promise, is taqiyya in action.
This article neglects to mention that Afghani men still gather on Thursdays on a regular basis to have s e x u a l relations WITH EACH OTHER! What do they need women for? If you think this is made up or contrived, ask any service man who has served in Afghanistan. It is just a fact that the news conveniently chooses to totally ignore. Many Afghani men who have assisted US forces in that country have been treated for r e c t a l gon orh ea by American medics. Women's rights, yeah.
I thought Thursday was fried chicken night?
Not going to see a story about the "dancing boys" of Afghanistan on MSNBC anytime soon either. And then they wonder why sexual relations are a mess.
RevSpinnaker
Too funny - I am well aware of the "Whirling Dervishes", and the forced trade which many ply. That's one of the many hypocritical dark aspects of Islam.
On Thursday nights these Afghan 'studs' can more often be found porking someone's nanny goat.
Unfortunately..... courage is the only weapon these women have. it's no wonder the men don't want their slaves to go to school or learn anything. Allah forbid that they figure out that they're being treated like cattle.
No, methinks, cattle are treated better.
Time to get out the sticks and stones... Imagine the nerve of those women getting uppity. <sarcasm>
If these women want to keep any of their rights they better have plans to exit the country. Once the Taliban is back in power (which is what the people of Afghanistan seem to want), women won't even be in the back seat, but the trunk.
That exactly is the problem. WE the WEST need to take all Afghan refuges and put them in military training camps and send them back to Afghanistan armed to the teeth. LET THEM fight for their country.
Let them turn terrorist against the me there. It's none of our business.
mMathuin I was now aware of this practice thank you for educating me. Wow!!
@ Toy Soldiers: The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan
With traditions like that, it's no wonder Afghan men have problems dealing with adult women.
The Taliban never had a problem dealing with women, Afghanistan's endless supply of stones saw to that.
I know about the dancing boys. These people all have perversions, as do we. My god, a teacher of small little children, feeding them spoons of his body fluid. Oh my god. So many people, [women too], just so perverted. Maybe it's the "Pink Slime" in the macs burgers. Google pink slime by some Englishman. It's a good time to become an Astronaut, and have a change to escape this planet.
i think Afghanistan will soon be taken over by bearded thugs who have no interest in any-ones rights much less women's ( they will say its Gods will). this reminds me of the ship long ago that came to the USA filled with Jew's and was turned away and all the Jew's were eventually captured by the Nazis and killed, i hope that's the right story. its unfortunate for those left in Afghanistan after the USA leaves, we should have never have been their in the first place in an occupier role.
WRONG, we should have been in an occupier role, not the PC, lets get them their own government as quick as possible and to hell with what type of people we let come to power.
Germany did not have a government until 4years after the defeat of the NAZIs AND THE GERMANS are and educated people.
We have control of Afghanistan to uneducated scum just so we didn't look like invaders. BS!!
If men destroy women, the reproduction line will be cut and who is going to stay home to cook, to run chores...
However if men allow women to learn, then when men are sick, women can take care of the household...
They won't destroy ALL the women. Not their mommies! Who are often the ones who pick out their daughters-in-law, because the old woman is the one who can boss the husband around, and she's going to make sure that new wife is obedient and has a rich dowery.
(A man is in a boat with his wife and his mother. The boat sinks, and, because neither woman has ever been taught to swim, and he's too cheap for life jackets, both are drowning. He will save his mother, because a man has only one mother, but can always buy another wife.)
When a woman dies, her husband just goes and gets a girl. He's entitled to up to four wives, so if one dies, the other three can carry on, taking care of his mother and the kids until he finds a family who will pay him to take their daughter out of their house so she'll stop eating their food; or if one of his buddies owes him a gambling debt; and will give a daughter to settle it; or some poor farmer whose wife died, and who now has a new wife and needs to get rid of his daughters to make her happy.
Age is no limit. In the West, a man having sex with a ten-year old is a pervert who should be in prison the rest of his life. In the middle East, he'd be her husband, unless the ten-year old is a boy, and it'd still be acceptable.
I'm sure the Taliban will be back.
These brave women will either be the first casualties or will have to leave the country.
There's no other way with that culture.
These women are being influenced by the western world in one form or another. Unfortunately, their barbaric society will see to it that they are quickly put in their place so don't hold your breath for change to come.
Republicans are trying to restore the dominance of women and their decisions in America. The Southern Baptist Convention is leading the way and Roman Catholic doctrine gives only one woman the upper hand, Mary. The daughters of eve are relegated to lay ministry without contraception. Afghanistan does not have all the reactionaries, by far. The right is trying to put a pair of pants on the Constitution.
And what exactly was Clinton doing with that cigar ? Honoring women?
I am a truly independent voter, and I think you are full of yourself. If you really must go there; Both Republicans and Democrats are corrupt.
I have voted for several parties in my 30 plus years of voting. As of the last presidential election, I have sworn to myself to never vote for another Republican or Democrat ever again.
That is my conscientious voting from now on. They have both ruled over us like demented child kings long enough. Time to take away the scissors.
Every memoir I've read from soldiers who have served in Iraq or Afghanistan always speaks highly of the women, from little ones to old grannies, compared to the men of those countries.Kinda shows the character of our young men when they speak up about the treatment of the women over there.
All religions are primitive and should cease to exist. Science holds the answers for all the things that we don't know. Search for real answers, don't just make up nonsense and accept it as truth.
Exactly; "science flies men to the moon, religion flies men into buildings"
In truth,I have a feeling this has less to do with the Islamic religion and more to do with the culture of Afghanistan
The only people that can stop this from happening is if these woman stand together as one!!! Refuse having their children and protest together. If these woman knew how powerful they truely are their world would be so much diffrent.
OMG GUYS I TOTALLY AGREE. Americans ARE SOOOOOOOO much better than those Islamic pigs. [/sarcasm]
Jerry Lee Lewis was a Christian, and he still married his underage cousin. Abuse is not regulated to one religion, people...and for the record, neither is sadism or backwardsness. Grow up and stop picking on other cultures to make yourself feel better, because I'm sure some guy sitting in front of a computer knows more about Islam by default than some guys who...I don't know...is actually Muslim.
Are you suggesting that the lot of women under the Taliban was acceptable?
Are you suggesting that they have nothing to fear?
No, friend...what I'm suggesting is that you read my post again.
ABUSE IS NOT REGULATED TO ONE RELIGION, NOR IS IT REGULATED TO ONE PEOPLE.
There. I put it in a single sentence so it cannot be misunderstood. And one other suggestion...war-hawks usually don't live very long at all.
yaya-3626794 They can't.
Both in Islam and Afghanistan, spousal rape is legal. As is wife beating. There is no way out for them. The husband can even kick them out to face a life without their children, and forced to prostitute themselves or beg for the rest of their lives.
Lucky for them they're just female and not gay.
The clock is ticking.
...they might as well enjoy whatever little freedom they have right now, because when NATO leaves, Karzai wont stand in anyone's way herding these "creatures" back to the existence "Allah" designed for them...at least "designed" according to Muhammad.....
Aint life grand?
And, please no more refugees....we tried, Lord knows, we tried.....
Oh my god.Hey NATURE is patriarchal. umad? Please, if you could get in some jabs at our hetero christian culture while you're being "insensitive' to their culture.HAR HAR HAR.......And I concur.This country doesn't need another person,from anywhere
Centuries of perverted, misinterpreted religious interpretation can not be reversed in a decade of fighting that does not also support the truth of Islam and the defense of those most mistreated in the name of religious right!