Javid Rad/Armanshahr
125th Goftegu – a bridge between the elite and the citizens – public debate of Armanshahr Foundation, with the title of “Elections and rural women”, was organised, in collaboration with Women’s Affairs Directorate of Herat province, in the Conference Hall of Guzara District on Saturday, 12 October 2013. Intellectuals, civil society activists, members of the District Council and women activists took part at the meeting.
Mr. Rooholamin Amini, representative of Armanshahr Foundation, welcomed the participants and expressed gratitude and appreciation for the warm participation of rural women at the meeting. He said rural women played a fundamental and significant role in the construction of democracy and institutionalisation of human rights: a potential force that not only has not had the opportunity to express itself but has been target of attempts to silence it. The vote of rural women was very effective in legitimising and consolidating the process of transition to a democratic system, said Amini.
The first speaker, Ms Fatema Jafari, a member of the Herat Province Council, spoke about the condition of women and their role in elections. According to her, women have had considerable achievements in the past 10 years as a result of their endeavours to make their voices heard by the international community. The process of seeking justice and achieving women’s legal rights has faced two huge problems. The first comes from within the Executive Power and the government. Sustained and lasting justice has never been in place in the past 10 years. Numerous laws have been enacted to eliminate violence, but there have never been guarantees to enforce them. The laws aiming to protect women’s citizenship rights have been diluted under pressures from the shariah and traditions.
The second problem concerns women’s political and social participation. Political power has been assigned to women through the power and influence of men in the last decade. Men operate as motivators of or brakes to women’s political actions. Men decide policies for women even in the field of social participation and activities. Women are appointed to political posts and play symbolic roles. Their competition to gain political power, seats in the parliament, in the provincial councils etc depends on support from strongmen. However, women can achieve their political rights when they directly gain political power. That is not possible but through informed choice. It is not enough for women to participate in elections. They should make intelligent choices in order to achieve their rights.
Ms Jafari concluded by making two suggestions: 1) Women should display a strong, active and intelligent participation in the elections. 2) The civil institutions should endeavour hard to inform women and to consolidate women’s vote in favour of women.
The next speaker was Ms Mahbuba Jamshidi, Director of Women’s Affairs of Herat Province, who spoke about the significance of women’s presence on political, social and cultural scenes and called on rural women to vote independently in the elections.
Ms Aziza Khayrandish, director of Civil Society and Human Rights in the Western Zone, addressed the role of rural women in the family and at home. According to her, women have a weak economic role in the family. Even though rural women play a productive role in the economic cycle, their lack of knowledge of their fundamental status, allows men to push them to the sideline and downplay the significance of their work. Women should recognise their status in this cycle. The economic dependence of rural women has lowered their social status. Rural women are deprived of almost all their human rights and benefits.
She pointed out that ‘colonisation of women’ is manifested during the elections as well. Men direct women’s vote. We know well that rural women play a fundamental role in giving direction to and determining the nature of the political power. Rural women constitute 40 percent of the national electorate. They are a significant force. Candidates depend on rural women’s vote. It is therefore highly crucial that they take part in elections. They should seek help from civil society institutions and the media to vote properly. I ask women who vote for men to vote for people who recognise and respect women’s rights.
Ms Golsum Sedighi (women’s rights activist and jurist) directed the Questions and Answers part of the meeting. She asked the women at the meeting to make their voices heard and state their demands to candidates.
An old rural lady spoke about the major economic and financial problems at her home and family and asked the candidates to take note of people’s problems. She said: Even though I have taken part in various elections in the past few years, my life has not changed and has even got worse.
Another rural woman criticised the present government’s policies on eradication, production and consumption of drugs and called them superficial, temporary and weak. According to her, poverty and drug addiction are the worst problems among the rural young people.
A woman from Murghab District in Badghis Province, who has migrated to Guzara District of Herat Province, spoke about the problems of poverty and destitution in her village. She called on all rural women to take part vigilantly in the presidential and provincial council elections and vote for people capable of serving and helping the nation. According to her, a president’s greatest service would be reduction and eradication of poverty and unemployment.
In conclusion, Ms Golsum Sedighi appreciated women’s participation at the meeting and called on all rural women to assume greater share in social activities and leave the domestic isolation.
