WOMENS RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN By Emily Sietsma Womens
WOMEN'S RIGHTS IN AFGHANISTAN By Emily Sietsma
Women's rights in Afghanistan are improving but very slowly on an international level. Through different former rulers such as the Mujahideen and the Taliban in the later part of the OVERVIEW 20 th century, women had very little to no freedom, specifically in terms of civil liberties. Ever since the Taliban regime was removed in 2001, women's rights have gradually improved under the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Politics and workforce • A number of women served as members of the Afghan Parliament • Several women also took positions as ministers • Habiba Sarabi became the first female governor in Afghanistan. She also served as Minister of Women's Affairs. • The Afghan National Security Forces, which includes the Afghan National Police, have a growing number of female officers. One of the Afghan National Army Brigadier generals is Khatol Mohammadzai. In 2012, Niloofar Rahmani became the first female pilot in the Afghan Air Force pilot training program
Education • Education in Afghanistan is very poor but slowly improving. The literacy rate for females is merely 24. 2%. • There around 9 million students in the country. Of this, about 60% are males and 40% females. Over 174, 000 students are enrolled in different universities around the country. About 21% of these are females. • Many women involved in teaching were caught by the Taliban and persecuted, jailed, and tortured
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Marriage and parenting • Afghanistan is a patriarchal society where it is commonly believed that men are entitled to make decisions for women, include those pertaining to engagement and marriage. A man can divorce without needing his wife's agreement, whereas the opposite is not true. • The country has a high total fertility rate, at 5. 33 children born/woman as of 2015. Contraception use is low: 21. 2% of women, as of 2010/11. • Arranged marriages are very common in this part of the world. After a marriage is arranged, the two families sign an engagement contract that both parties are socially and culturally obligated to honor. It is common among low-income families for the groom to pay a bride price to the bride's family
Roles for Women • The status and power of a girl increases as she moves from child to bride to mother to grandmother. A successful marriage with many sons is the principal goal of Afghan women, wholeheartedly shared by Afghan men. Women's nurturing roles are also crucial. This does not mean that women are confined to domestic roles. • In Afghanistan, ranked the worst country in the world to be born a girl, some parents are bringing up their daughters as sons. Then comes puberty and the ‘bacha posh’ (Afghan girls raised as boys) are expected to switch back to their original gender role. • Although statistics indicate that by 1978 women were joining the workforce in increasing numbers, only about eight percent of the female population received an income.
21 st Century • The overall situation for Afghan women has improved in the last decade, particularly in the major urban areas, but those living in rural parts of the country still face many problems. In 2013, a female Indian author Sushmita Banerjee was killed in Paktika province by militants for allegedly defying Taliban diktats. She was married to an Afghan businessman and had recently relocated to Afghanistan. Earlier she had escaped two instances of execution by the Taliban in 1995 and later fled to India. • In 2013, the United Nations published statistics showing a 20% increase in violence against women, often due to domestic violence being justified by conservative religion and culture. • In February 2014, Afghanistan passed a law that includes a provision that limits the ability of government to compel some family members to be witnesses to domestic violence. Human Rights Watch described the implementation of the 2009 Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women as "poor, " noting that some cases are ignored. • Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom have expressed concern at women's rights in the country. According to latest reports, Afghanistan ranks as one of the top worst countries for women
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