u WOMEN AND ACTIVISTS DEMAND AN APPROVED EVAW LAW ...................... 1
u VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT MODIFICATION SPARKS
FUROR IN AFGHANISTAN .... 2
u AFGHAN LAWMAKERS BLOCK LAW ON WOMEN'S RIGHTS.........................2 & 3
VOLUME 8
May 2013
Jalal Foundation Afghan Womenews Digest
The only newsletter that presents the realities of Afghan women’s lives as captured by local newspapers.
Women And Activists Demand An Approved EVAW Law
A group of civil society and women rights activists put up demonstrations demanding an immediate approval of the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW) Law on Monday. The activists gathered in front of the National Assembly and said that none of the articles in the Law is against the Islamic Sharia Law. They emphasized that this Law has to be approved by the Lower House without any amendment and at the earliest. On the other hand, the Women Commission of the Lower House said that the Law will be drafted again in consultation with the religious scholars. Tamana Hila, a women rights activist said, "We seek the approval of EVAW Law
without any amendment. This law is in no way violating the Islamic Sharia Law. In fact, some of the MPs don't even have proper knowledge about the Law." Nilofar Mehdi, a civil society activist said, "The MPs should not keep any political vendetta behind the EVAW Law. We demand that the Lower House should approve the Law." Meanwhile, the Women Commission of the Lower House said that this Law was not approved because there were differences in opinion among the MPs over certain provisions in the Law. And, efforts are being made to get the Law approved. Fawzia Kofi, Head of the Women Commission of the Lower House said, "Even though there were differences in opinion among the MPs on the Law, we intend to table it again in consultation with the religious scholars and get it approved."
Samiha Sadat, member of the Lower House said, "We are against those provisions of the Law which are in violation of the Islamic Sharia Law. We will try to remove all the objectionable provisions in the Law and get it approved soon." The civil society activists emphasized that if some circles within the Parliament misuse this law for their personal interests and ignore women’s rights, the country will witness an increase in violence against women.
Afghan lawmakers block law on women's rights
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Conservative religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation aimed at strengthening provisions for women's freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience. The fierce opposition highlights how tenuous women's rights remain a dozen years after the ouster of the hard-line Taliban regime, whose strict interpretation of Islam once kept Afghan women virtual prisoners in their homes. (Continue to page 2)
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Violence against women Act modification sparks furor in Afghanistan .
A number of civil society organizations including independent human rights commission of Afghanistan expressed concerns for modifying the violence against women act. According to reports, modification of violence against women Act has been mysteriously and secretly included in the working agenda of the House of Representatives, which has sparked furors and concerns among the women’s rights activists and members of the civilian society organizations. A group of the civilian society members including members of the human rights commission also visited Afghan Parliament to express their concerns in this regard. The delegation urged Afghan lawmakers to remove modification of violence against women Act from their working agenda. An official speaking on the condition of anonymity said, “a number of the political figures and parties are looking to modify the main articles of the violence against women act.” In the meantime, Afghan lawmaker and women rights activist Farkhunda Zahra Naderi insisted that the violence against women Act has been enforced and must be implemented.
Farukhdan Zahra Naderi said, “Apparently a number of the political circles are looking to play with the achievements of the Afghan women which they have gained during the past ten years. However, the violence against women Act has been passed and is implementable which is being used by judiciary institutions.” She said, “The Afghan Parliament should include other important Acts in their working agenda including higher studies Act which is vital for the Afghan people rather than focusing on violence against women Act.” “The inclusion of violence against women Act in the working agenda of the Afghan Parliament risks the modification of important articles of the Act which has sparked concerns among the civil society officials specifically human rights commission and other womens’ rights activists,” Naderi said. Afghan lawmaker representing Badakhshan province of Afghanistan, Dr. Nelofar Ibrahimi also called the modification of violence against women Act a political deal and urged the Afghan government to implement the Act. Ibrahimi said, “The violence
Afghan lawmakers block law on women's rights .
… (cont. fr page 1) Khalil Ahmad Shaheedzada, a conservative lawmaker for
Herat province, said the legislation was withdrawn shortly after being introduced in Parliament because of an uproar by religious parties who said parts of the law are un-‐Islamic. "Whatever is against Islamic law, we don't even need to speak about it," Shaheedzada said. The Law on Elimination of Violence against Women has been in effect since 2009, but only by presidential decree. It is being brought before Parliament now because lawmaker Fawzia Kofi, a women's rights activist, wants to cement it with a parliamentary vote to prevent its potential reversal by any future president who might be tempted to repeal it to satisfy hard-‐line religious parties.
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against women Act is comprised of articles which are vital for the Act, which is not acceptable for a society dominated by men. If the main article of the Act is not approved then it will become useless and ineffective.” The modification of violence against women Act was included in the working agenda of the Afghan Parliament earlier. However, it was later removed after the interference of civil society and a number of Afghan lawmakers. The violence against women Act was approved by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2009, which bans violence against women, premature marriages, sale and purchase of girls and any kind of severe harm to women that would led them to commit suicide. The law criminalizes, among other things, child marriage and forced marriage, and bans "baad," the traditional practice of exchanging girls and women to settle disputes. It makes domestic violence a crime punishable by up to three years in prison and specifies that rape victims should not face criminal charges for fornication or adultery. Kofi, who plans to run for president in next year's elections, said she was disappointed because among those who oppose upgrading the law from presidential decree to legislation passed by Parliament are women. Afghanistan's parliament has more than 60 female lawmakers, mostly due to constitutional provisions reserving certain seats for women. Neli suggested that removing the custom — common in Afghanistan — of prosecuting raped women for adultery would lead to social chaos, with women freely engaging in extramarital sex safe in the knowledge they could claim rape if caught. For five years, the regime banned women from working and going to school, or even leaving home without a male relative. In public, all women were forced wear a head-‐to-‐toe burqa, which covers even the face with a mesh panel. Violators were publicly flogged or executed. Since the U.S.-‐led invasion in 2001, women's freedoms have improved vastly, but Afghanistan remains a deeply conservative culture, especially in rural areas. Saturday's failure of the legislation in Parliament reflected the power of religious parties but changed little on the ground, since the decree is still the law of the land, however loosely enforced. Kofi said the Parliament decided to send the legislation to committee, and it could come to a vote again later this year.
Effort to Strengthen an Afghan Law on Women May Backfire KABUL, Afghanistan -‐ Even with some legal protections in place, Afghan women, and sometimes even little girls, can be sold to pay family debts. In the country’s vast rural areas, just talking to a man who is not a close relative can be punishable by death. And in some places, girls are routinely married at puberty. And now, preserving any protections long-‐term appears to be in question, as the country’s tiny women’s rights movement faces an unenviable decision: leave intact the only law that attempts to halt such abuses, or continue to present changes to Parliament and run the risk that a growing conservative bloc could dismantle the law entirely. The quandary became evident on Saturday, when a bid to add more robust protections was rapidly withdrawn in Parliament after stinging rebukes. Angry mullahs and conservatives who never supported the law in the first place complained that it and the proposed revisions were un-‐Islamic and asked who could better decide than they who and when their daughters should marry. Some women in Parliament were not supportive either, citing the
measure’s backing of shelters for battered women. Many Afghans believe shelters are little better than brothels and tarnish a girl’s reputation. To cut off the onslaught, the proposal was sent back to committee, its future uncertain. The push to bring up the law in Parliament has split the small group of Afghan women’s rights advocates. Despite fears of the conservatives, some argued that quick action had to be taken before the exit of the United States, which, along with the European Union, has championed better lives and protections for Afghan women. The drive to amend the law was led by one of Afghanistan’s more visible champions for women’s issues: Fawzia Koofi, a determined, ambitious woman who gained a seat in Parliament in 2005 and in 2010, survived an attempt on her life by gunmen thought to be Taliban. Ms. Koofi is a somewhat controversial figure. Closely allied with the predominantly Tajik former
Northern Alliance faction in Parliament, she has sometimes been criticized as pursuing policies for her own political gain. However, she insisted that her motivation to amend the women’s law was to help solidify it, though not all supporters of women’s rights here agree. Ms. Koofi said the proposed changes would allow the government to prosecute cases of abuse even when the woman who had been abused withdrew her claim. Women frequently come under family pressure to drop complaints of domestic violence. Ms. Koofi said she also added a provision prohibiting sexual harassment, calling it increasingly pervasive as more women go to work in offices. And, she said, she included a provision to require men to pay women child support if they leave them or take other wives. No written version of the amendments was publicly available, so it was difficult to verify their contents or wording.
Afghan female rock fest triumphs, but anxiety over future looms KABUL (Reuters) -‐ More than 400 Afghan women and girls jumped from their seats, screaming and even head banging to rock and rap music at an all-‐female music festival in the capital of Kabul, which organizers say was the largest such event in the country's history. It may also be one of the last. In ultra-‐ conservative Afghanistan, women's rights remain precarious. Afghan women have won back hard-‐fought rights such as education and work since the Islamist Taliban was toppled 12 years ago, but there are fears these freedoms could 3 shrink once NATO-‐led forces withdraw
from Afghanistan by the end of next year, ending their fight against a Taliban-‐led insurgency that began in late 2001. Afghan women have won back hard-‐fought rights such as education and work since the Islamist Taliban was toppled 12 years ago, but there are fears these freedoms could shrink once NATO-‐led forces withdraw from Afghanistan by the end of next year, ending their fight against a Taliban-‐led insurgency that began in late 2001. The rare women's day, part of a multi-‐day Sound Central concert, was held in a city
concert hall on Tuesday and drew a boisterous crowd -‐ mostly teenagers in the high school uniform of grey tunic and white hijab, but also abuse victims from shelters and even a few grandmothers. Increasing insecurity is deterring some women from pursuing work outside the home, and rights workers accuse the government of not doing enough to safeguard women -‐ claims that President Hamid Karzai's administration denies. (cont. in page 4)
… (cont from page 3) The women-‐
only festival kicked off the 4-‐day Sound Central rock fest, now in its third year, featuring acts by Afghan-‐American singer Ariana Delawari and Kabul-‐based expat rockers White City, whose British lead singer Ruth Owen sent the crowd into a frenzy. The number of women attending the women's day more than doubled from last year's debut event, said its founder, Australian multimedia producer Travis Beard. He publicized the concert by sending out fliers and teams of women to schools to convince teachers and parents that the festival would cause young women no harm. "Women's day is the most significant part of the festival. Just having this kind of attendance for
the first time in the country, at a rock concert, is groundbreaking," Beard said. As local rap artist Ramika took to the stage, dressed in turquoise leggings and an oversized t-‐shirt, several wide-‐ eyed Afghan soldiers guarding the event crept in to steal a look at the show, which only female press members were allowed to cover. To one side of the audience sat a small, solemn group of young women from shelters that give refuge to abuse victims, many of whom have escaped violent homes and unhappy arranged marriages. The unmarked and often hidden shelters around the country face an uncertain future, with recent government attempts to bring them under their control. Last year, Justice Minister Habibullah Ghaleb called the shelters houses of "prostitution and immorality", provoking a barrage of condemnation from Afghan women.
Female Afghan journalist win ‘Courage in Journalism’ award An Afghan woman journalist is among the three women who have been awarded the 2013 Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF). Najiba Ayubi, 45, managing director for The Killid Group in Afghanistan has been nominated for the award after risking her life to report the news. Ayubi spent more than a decade working under anonymous threats and attacks from government entities for her reporting on politics and women’s rights. She leads a team of reporters working in print, broadcast and online media and has refused calls for
censorship. She remained committed to her work and rejected calls to limit her work despite facing direct threats from many sources including politicians who have sent gunmen to her home and other aggressors who have vowed to harm her family. Najiba Ayubi follows Farida Nekzad and Sharif Akhlas and became the third IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner from Afghanistan. The other women journalists who will receive the awards includes Bopha
Delhi-based Afghan woman shortlisted for 'world's best job'
"An Afghan has a lot of limitations while applying for a visa or a contest. The minute you say you are an Afghan, there are a lot of queries, your background is checked. And, many of these competitions are geared towards a Western audience," says Moska. This was open to all nationalities. Moska, a former BBC journalist, decided to apply. The job, capturing life in the south-‐eastern Australian state Victoria in photographs, films and writing, is exciting. It entails surfing, skiing, rappelling, winemaking and researching penguins at Phillip Island — everything one fancies on an adventure
New Delhi -‐ Moska Najib does not fit in with any stereotype of an Afghan woman. The 29-‐year-‐old documentary filmmaker is among the top 25 shortlisted for one of the six 'best jobs in the world' — lifestyle photographer in Melbourne. She is the only Afghan to beat 600,000 applicants in the race. If she wins the job, she will earn Australian $100,000 (around Rs 55 lakh) in six months.
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Phorn, 28, reporter for The Cambodia Daily in Cambodia and Nour Kelze, 25, photojournalist for Reuters in Syria. The winners will receive their awards during ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles which are scheduled to be organized on October 23 and October 29 this year. The Courage in Journalism Awards and Lifetime Achievement Award will be sponsored by the Bank of America. holiday. Photography for Afghan women, whose subservience is often attributed to culture, is a challenge. For globetrotter Moska (Pushtoo for muskaan meaning smile) it's passion. She was recently in Kolkata photographing Afghans, called Kabuliwallas, in the 21st century. "The street in Kolkata where many of them live looks like that in Kabul." While shooting in Kolkata, she spotted the advertisement for the "best jobs" on Facebook. In 2009, the "Best Job in The World" was for a caretaker of the Great Barrier Reef islands. This year, there are six world's "best jobs" — chief funster, outback adventurer, park ranger, wildlife caretaker, lifestyle photographer and taste master — each with an Australian $100, 000 package for six months.
Health Services a Challenge in Ghor The central Ghor province local officials and the Parliamentarians on Tuesday said that women doctors don't at all exist in any of the areas in the province. The officials have said that poor health services especially for women are quite alarming. Ghor lacks proper health care centers. The centers which have been built in late years either don't have medicines or equipment or doctors. The residents of Ghor province complain that the health care centers are far from residential villages where repeatedly patients have lost their lives while on their
way to the centers. "Our village is so far, we don't have doctors there," a resident said. The province includes women addicts. "I became an addict four years back. I was using tablets for two years and after that I started using heroin; now I don't have even one Afghani to buy medicine," a woman addict told TOLOnews. The local officials blame the private health centers which are currently working remote areas of the province.
"Sometimes the families don't allow the female members to go to the health centers because the doctors are all men," Provincial
Afghanistan catching up with the Internet and modern lifestyle KABUL, May 20 (Xinhua) -‐-‐ Some 12 years ago, it was unthinkable to have Internet cafes in Afghanistan. But today, Kabul, and some other cities and towns in the country, have Internet shops where Afghans, especially students, can surf and look for the information that they need. "I go the Internet cafe usually twice a week to gather information about Afghanistan's contemporary history as well as on other topics, such as World War II and about Adolf Hitler," Mohammad Omar, a Kabul University student, said. Although there is a public library in Kabul, the vast majority of students prefer to go to Internet shops where they can get the necessary information through search engines without any hassle. Despite being a conservative country where tribalism is deeply rooted, Afghanistan has no recourse but to move towards modernization and join the computer age otherwise it will be left behind. Even in Kandahar, once the bailiwick of the Taliban, there are universities, schools and Internet shops that are open to both men and women. During the six-‐year Taliban rule, which collapsed after the invasion of the country by the U.S.-‐led military coalition in late 2001, the Internet was banned, schools for girls were closed, and men were forced to wear turban, sport beard and study theology. The Taliban also confined women to their houses and forced them to wear burqa whenever they come out of their houses. They were not allowed to walk in the streets without male escorts. Today, according to officials, nearly two million Afghans have access to the Internet. Around 22 million Afghans, or some 72 percent of the country's population, have now access to phone services, a tremendous achievement that would be unthinkable a decade ago. Now parents, even in rural areas, are sending their daughters to school, a practice that was taboo during the brutal reign of the Taliban.
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Parliamentarian Sima Joinda told TOLOnews. The Provincial Council Chief Fazlulhaq Ihsan told TOLOnews, "A province with such a wide geographical area does not have a single woman doctor." Afghan Public Health Minister confirms the current health challenges inside the province but stressed that challenges will be tackled.
80% of Afghan Women have Access to Telecommunication Services: USAID Survey The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in a recently conducted survey found that over 80% of Afghan women have access to telecommunication services. USAID stated that a number of women are using telecommunication services in Afghanistan. USAID's survey on the use of information technology and telecommunication services in Afghanistan, especially cell phones showed that only 20% of Afghan women didn't have access to the services due to poverty and family restrictions. "The challenge that we have set, still remains. But I am convinced that we all have worked together; and if everybody-‐ the private sector, the Government and the international community work towards a common goal, we will be successful. Most importantly, the Afghan people will benefit from our efforts. I would like to thank the World Bank for everything it has done in this area," Hilda M. Arellano, Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs (CDDEA) said. Meanwhile, high price of telecommunication services, low quality of services and pesky phone calls are some of the problems that have been mentioned in the survey. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has warned those who make pesky phone calls and disturb women. The Ministry added that it will soon come out with a policy to overcome the problem. "Any woman facing the issue of pesky calls can file a complaint with the Afghanistan Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (ATRA). ATRA informs the Ministry and we block the SIM card of the pesky caller," Amirzai Sangin, Minister of Communications and Information Technology said. Even though lot of investments have been made over the past 11 years in developing the telecommunication services, majority of the Afghans are unhappy with the internet services in the country.
Despite Taliban Threats, Afghan Women Want to be Educated KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 21 (Xinhua) -‐-‐ Despite Taliban threat and intimidation, more and more women in the southern Kandahar province, the erstwhile spiritual capital of the Taliban, have gone to school and get involved in social activities. "Afghan women have realized that education is power. It is the key to succeed. Education changes the living conditions and the future of women. We have been living in a state of conflict and instability for three decades and it is time for us to get educated," Spina, 18, told Xinhua in a recent interview in Kandahar city, the provincial capital of Kandahar province, which is some 450 km south of Kabul. Domestic violence, security problems and tribal traditions in parts of the conservative Afghanistan often bar girls to attend school or to get higher education. "The uncertain security and intimidation make difficult to have equitable access to good quality education especially for girls. But despite these conditions, I attend a literacy class every day, "said Spina, who, like most Afghans has only one name, has also been a victim of violence against women.
In Afghanistan, businesswomen must seek a delicate balance
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Spina said that shortly after she got married, her mother-‐in-‐ law began accusing her of not doing her household chores. She was also maltreated and this has ultimately led to her divorce and now she is living with her parents again. Spina's father, according to her, had paid more than 2,000 U.S. dollars to her in-‐laws so that they will agree to sign her divorce papers. "If my husband's family were educated people, they would not have mistreated me," Spina said. Up to now, the militant Taliban is still active in Kandahar. The fanatical group emerged in 1994 and disappeared in late 2001 following the U.S.-‐ led military campaign in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan has made meaningful strides in women's rights since the Taliban's rule ended more than a decade ago. Back then, women were barred from going to school and could not leave home without being escorted by a male relative. KABUL, Afghanistan -‐ Roya Mahboob navigates the potholes of doing business in Afghanistan Now, nearly 3 million girls go to school. Women are like any other entrepreneur. Corruption is rife. forging careers in medicine, law and business. In Kidnappings are common. Bomb blasts remain the Parliament's lower chamber, 69 of 249 an overarching reality. members are women. But mistreatment is still prevalent, particularly in villages and rural areas, But as the female chief executive of a thriving where some girls are sold to settle disputes and software firm in Afghanistan's male-‐dominated child marriages remain common. society, Mahboob finds that her potholes sometimes feel like sinkholes. In Afghanistan's business world, chauvinism takes a different shape. Male colleagues bristle at the Banks have balked at lending her money simply thought of a woman competing alongside them or because she is a woman. Anonymous emails and winning a contract they sought. text messages have warned her to abandon her work. One ominous missive came on crumpled Afghan businesswomen have to strike a delicate paper wrapped around a rock and thrown into balance: They must be visible enough to nurture her front yard. It said: "You're a bad girl. When new connections and customers but not to the you head outside, you'd better be careful." extent that they land on the Taliban's hit list. "Most successful businesswomen here, they prefer "It's been very difficult for us," says Mahboob, a to be in the background," Mahboob says. "We still diminutive 25-‐year-‐old with a soft voice that have Taliban here, and we're afraid of them. If nonetheless comes across as firm and we're too visible and too many people are talking unhesitant. "When we first went to talk to about you, maybe you will be more successful — businessmen, they treated us very badly. but maybe you'll have more trouble." So Mahboob They couldn't believe that women could be takes measured steps through Afghanistan's male-‐ technical-‐minded. They'd make jokes about us. dominated business world. She rarely grants When they smiled, their smile told us that they didn't think we could do the job."
During its rule, the Taliban had barred girls from schooling and confined women to their houses. The Afghanistan Women Foundation, a non-‐government body supporting women rights in the conflict ridden country, runs literacy courses for women, besides setting up several handicraft and tailoring classes in Kandahar and adjoining provinces. Some 8.4 million students, 39 percent of them girls, now go to school in the post-‐Taliban Afghanistan, according to officials. Kandahar has also experienced acid attacks on school girls. In November 2008 three female students were attacked and their faces disfigured.
interviews to Afghan television, radio or newspapers. She maintains three offices: one in her home city of Herat in western Afghanistan, another in New York City and a third in a small, two-‐story building in Kabul tucked away in a maze of rutted dirt lanes far from the Afghan capital's main thoroughfares. She used to change her cellphone number each month as a precaution but has abandoned the tactic because she lost customers. Despite the hurdles, Mahboob has, in less than three years, turned her software start-‐up — launched with four workers and $10,000 borrowed from relatives — into a multimedia moneymaker with pending projects valued at more than $1 million. Her company, Afghan Citadel Services, operates information technology centers in schools in western Afghanistan, runs an online documentary channel that attracts as many as 3 million viewers a month, sells casual wear online and even owns 10% of a local professional soccer team.
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STATEMENT OF JALAL FOUNDATION ON THE PLANNED REPEAL OF EVAW LAW BY PARLIAMENT KEEP THE EVAL AS IT IS! NO TO REPEAL OR AMENDMENT BY PARLIAMENT!
The initial debates of the Parliament on the Elimination of Violence against Women Law (EVAL) provide a clear picture of the political ideologies that dominate our law making bodies and policy system. Clearly, we are ruled by people who have no respect for women’s rights and do not care about the lives and well-‐‑being of half of our country’s citizens. In their minds, women are non-‐‑entities who do not matter and whose fate lies solely in the hands of men. The dynamics of the debates represent a preview of what we, Afghan women, are now facing. The grips of extremism are now blatantly showing force at the highest levels of decision making. They are opposing the very provisions of EVAL that are core to the protection of women and their rights. Clearly, they want to put us back to where we were during the Taliban times. It is open season once again on Afghan women’s oppression, gender based violence, and denial of women’s rights. These people will not stop until we lose every space that we gained during the past decade. But we do not need to remain silent and helpless. Sisters and brothers, supporters of peace, democracy and human rights, we cannot afford to lose our hard fought gains. How many human rights activists and women leaders lost their lives during the past decade to defend the modest gains that we now have? Shall we allow their heroic sacrifices to go to waste by not doing anything while we still can? More than ever, we need to bind together as one. Let us organize a mammoth campaign to oppose the butchering of women’s rights in the halls of the Parliament. Everyone can do something, and every little effort counts: • Organize a dialogue with your Parliamentary representatives. They need to hear your resistance to the adverse positions being taken by them in relation to the provisions of the EVAL. They are in Parliament not to represent their own concerns but to be the voice of the people. They owe it to us to make our voice heard in the debate on policies that are crucial to our lives. • Put down your statements in writing and send them through all possible channels – to the Parliamentarians, media, social networks, international community, donors, regional bodies, community leaders, institutions, etc. Let your voices be circulated as widely as possible in the loudest and most compelling way! • Organize non-‐‑violent protests. Wear violet ribbons on your sleeves as a sign of resistance to any amendment or repeal of the EVAL. Initiate coordinated noise barrage at specific times of the day. Pass text messages supporting a “No Repeal, No Amendment” campaign for EVAL. • Identify the Parliamentarians and politicians that espouse pro-‐‑extremist positions and peacefully but forcefully campaign against them in every possible way. • Make women’s rights an election issue. List down the names of politicians and incumbent Parliamentarians who trample upon women’s rights and do not represent our voice, then campaign against them when they run for the upcoming election. Our vote is our power and we need to use it intelligently now, more than ever. • Never stop! This law is a must to the protection of Afghan women’s rights and well being. Put it on top of your priority by constantly speaking about its importance and merit. The EVAW Law which they now call EVAL is never anti-‐‑Islamic. It has passed the legal scrutiny of national and international experts on Islam and Shariah. It also underwent nearly five years of debate and consensus building following democratic principles. Let us not allow uneducated minds to dictate what is Shariah and Islamic in this part of the world. We owe it to our country and our people to have enlightened views and to resist the misuse of Islam to foment oppression and tyranny. Let us claim back our future by doing what we can do right now! Oppose the repeal and amendment of the EVAL!!!!
EDITORIAL
EVAW Law: Listen to What Women Want!
JALAL FOUNDATION
No. 8, Butcher Street, Kabul City, Afghanistan Tel. nos. +93 781 174 520 and +93 752 028 766
Contents
Women And Activists Demand An Approved EVAW Law TOLOnews.com By Rafi Sediqi 27 May 2013 Proposed law to protect Afghan women faces backlash The Washington Post By Pamela Constable May 25, 2013 80% of Afghan Women Have Access To Telecommunication Services: USAID Survey TOLOnews.com By Zabiulah Jahanmal 23 May 2013 In Afghanistan, businesswomen must seek a delicate balance Los Angeles Times By Alex Rodriguez May 23, 2013 Despite Taliban threats, Afghan women in Kandahar want to get educated by Farid Behbud Afghanistan catching up with the Internet and modern lifestyle By Abdul Haleem Effort to Strengthen an Afghan Law on Women May Backfire New York Times By ALISSA J. RUBIN May 18, 2013 Violence against women act modification sparks furor in Afghanistan By MIRWAIS ADEEL -‐ 17 May 2013, 2:44 pm Khaama Press Health Services a Challenge in Ghor TOLOnews.com By Jawed Stanikzai 15 May 2013 Delhi-‐based Afghan woman shortlisted for 'world's best job' The Times of India By Rakhi Chakrabarty May 5, 2013 Afghan female rock fest triumphs, but anxiety over future looms By Amie Ferris-‐Rotman
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The presence of women in the Parliament has been one of the hard-‐fought victories of the past decade. At one point in time, Afghanistan ranked 28th in the world in terms of countries with highest female representation in the Parliament. We fought for women’s representation in the Parliament to protect the interests of women and serve as their voice in the highest levels of policy and decision making. However, what we are experiencing today is a sad and alarming backlash. Women who led the effort to subject the EVAW law to Legislative deliberations are not there to represent the voice and protect the interests of women. They are there as puppets of the fundamentalist ideology that is making a comeback to our society. They are there for their own personal and political interests. If they want to be famous, they should not do so by betraying half of Afghan’s population who are counting on their representation and support. By subjecting the EVAW law to a new level of scrutiny in an un-‐informed and predominantly fundamentalist Parliament, these women have offered women’s rights to be butchered. It is an arena where women’s rights could never win. The process is divisive and politically counter-‐productive to women. The women who resist the filing of the EVAW law for discussion in the Parliament are the ones who truly stand for women’s rights. They are the ones who know the real issues. They are the ones who respect the tremendous efforts exerted by women and their supporters for over four years (2005-‐2009) in order to get this law signed into a decree. They know that all the provisions of this Law that are now being interpreted to be un-‐Islamic have already been threshed out, subjected to debates, and for which reason, consensus among opposing parties had already been built. Yet, we cannot just sit down and complain while the rights of women are being butchered by our leaders and law makers. More than ever, this is the time for us to remain solid, vigilant and active in protecting the gains of our years of work to win back our rightful place in this society. Presently, we see the fundamentalist forces pushing women back to where they were during the regime of the Taliban. This is something that we should never allow to happen. Today, we should revive the links that we had established, nationally and internationally, to mount a massive campaign against the resurgence of fundamentalism and their assault to the rights of people, especially women and girls. We need to keep on reaching out to our international sisters to make them aware of the situation of women in this part of the world. Set up blogs, post pictures in your Facebook pages, send emails, and do whatever you can to continue asking for help to fight for the rights of Afghan women. Many of them – organizations and professionals – invested some years of their life to help this country in the recent past. They will not allow their investments to simply go down the drain. To national women’s machineries, women’s organizations, human rights agencies, social and political activists, lovers of democracy and peace, we urge you to prevent fundamentalism from growing roots in any part of the world, including in Afghanistan. The fundamentalism that now starts to reign in this country could never be confined within our borders. It is like a slow, invisible fire that will soon be in your front yards, taking a grip at the lives of your children and the many generations to come. It seeks to overthrow democracy, take away people’s rights, and sow terror in the hearts of the people – a real monster that no country would ever want to have. Join us. Act now before it is too late.
Disclaimer: Afghan Women News Digest is a compilation of publicly accessible articles on the Web in the form of a link or saved news item. The news articles are protected under international copyright laws. All credit goes to the original respective source(s). The editorial is a responsibility of Jalal Foundation.