Afghanistan

HRW Heather Barr/ Senior Researcher, Women’s Rights Division Each year, dozens or even hundreds of women and girls in Afghanistan are subjected to invasive, humiliating, and sometimes painful vaginal and rectal exams in the name of […]

Politicize and popularize the significance of increased women’s political representation and its role on further democratization: In order to build a national discourse on women’s political participation, quota advocates must know the history and situation of women’s political representation in their country.

The advancement of women has always been central to our pursuit of national peace and reconstruction.

The Women & Youth Outreach Department of Free & Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA) held a conference under the title of Women and Political participation to release its findings from 8 provincial focus groups and 6 consultation meetings on women and political participation.

Although women’s participation in parliamentary elections in the rhetorical discourses of changes in Afghanistan’s post-2001 context is framed as ‘new’, a quick overview of the historical-political context informs us of women’s presence in the political sphere much earlier than 2001.

The Afghanistan’s National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325 women, peace and security is developed to address the challenges women faced in the aftermath of war and conflict in Afghanistan.

Women are awarded minimized role in politics. Political activities are considered the special domain for men. Women are stressed that home is predominant place.

The past ten years in Afghanistan have proven to be a decade of remarkable progress in the lives of Afghan Women.

The complex challenges and opportunities of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, as enunciated in United National Security Council Resolution 1325 of 2000, and several subsequent resolutions, lend themselves to both a “cup half full” and a “cup half empty” interpretation.

A new chapter of Afghan history has been written. The Government of National Unity is formed. The Bilateral Security Agreement and the Status of Forces Agreement are signed with the United States and NATO.