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Women, Peace and Security Initiatives: Afghanistan
In-country | International

In-Country

Afghan Women Unite for Peace
In Kandahar, one of the most violent provinces in Afghanistan, women are gathering for peace because they are tired of watching their family and friends killed in senseless acts of violence. Women in Kabul and every otherprovince of Afghanistan will express their solidarity with the Kandahar women by reading a message of peace at their International Women's Day gatherings on March 8th.

To sign petition, click here

To get more information about the petition, click here

Act now to save the life of an Afghan reporter!
Feminist majority foundation
2008
Sayed Parwez Kambakhsh, a student at Balkh University and a reporter for Jahan-I-Now (New World) newspaper, was arrested in October and sentenced to death January 22, 2008, after he supposedly confessed to blasphemy. Kambakhsh has said his intent was to foster discussion on the role of women in Islamic societies. Instead, he was arrested in the Balkh province, tried before a secret court without legal representation and sentenced to death.

Urge your Senators and Representatives to Co-Sponsor "The Afghan Women's Empowerment Act of 2006"
Feminist majority foundation
2006
As the Taliban militia returns and increases its violent attacks against women to prevent them from exercising their rights, we must urge Congress to support organizations that promote and protect women's rights and the women-led nonprofits that provide urgently needed assistance to women and girls.

The Feminist Majority has waged a campaign urging the U.S. to increase security in Afghanistan, to protect the rights of women and girls and to increase funding for organizations working to advance women's rights in Afghanistan and Afghan women-led non-profits. Eleanor Smeal, President of the Feminist Majority Foundation/Feminist Majority, which has waged a campaign urging the U.S. to increase peacekeeping troops throughout Afghanistan said, "As the bombings and burning of girls' schools continue unabated and the situation for women and girls continues to deteriorate, the Bush Administration remains silent."

To sign letter and join campaign please click here

Demand Justice for Women in Afghanistan
Amnesty International USA
2004
Women and girls continue to be threatened with violence in many aspects of their life, both private and public in Afghanistan. Weapons remain a mainstay of Afghan men's lives and violence against women and girls, including rape, mental and physical cruelty, forced marriages and exchange of girls to settle disputes are reportedly widespread.

Afghan Presidential Candidates Discuss Women's Issues
Association of Voice of Afghan Women in Global Media & UNIFEM
2004
The Association of Voice of Afghan Women in Global Media, with UNIFEM support, organized an open debate for ten presidential candidates on the role of women in Afghan society and their participation in the political process of the country. More than 100 journalists from around the country attended the event alongside women activists and government officials. Although no candidate seemed to have a clear programme for the advancement of women in their platforms, at least two said that they would assign women to ministerial positions in their cabinet. The focus of discussions revolved primarily around women's rights in Islam, with candidates pledging to ensure Afghan women had rights, as accorded to them under Islamic law. All candidates agreed however that education, health, political and economic security and an end to violence against women were important issues to include in their agendas. For more information, contact Carlotta Ferrero, carlotta.ferrero@undp.org

Women’s Learning Center in Heart, Afghanistan
Creating Hope International through GlobalGiving
July 2004
Herat is the largest city in western Afghanistan and a main trade city for exports. No education has been available to women and girls in Herat for the last decade under the Taliban regime. Recent patterns of civil strife in Afghanistan have destroyed about 95% of the infrastructure and services. Established in September 2002, the Herat Women’s Learning Center serves about 425 women and children, with plans for service expansion during 2003. This center offers teacher training, English, literacy, math, and computer classes. Skills like sewing and carpet weaving are also taught. Leadership and human rights classes teach women how to assert their rights in a culturally sensitive way. They have a current financial need of $6600, that Global Giving has set up an online counter for. To learn more/donate, please click here.

Ensure The Criminal Justice System In Afghanistan Protects Women's Rights
February, 2004
The freedom and security of Afghan women are still severely compromised. Urge the US government to use its influence to convince the Afghanistan Transitional Authority to publicly condemn all violence against women and to take immediate measures to ensure that cases of violence against women are investigated and perpetrators brought to justice. Click Here to take action through Amnesty International's campaign.

Women in Mazar-e-Sharif Support Disarmament Process
2003
Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan (HAWCA) started in the Northern region, City of Mazar-e-Sharif, a process to collect signatures for a petition calling for the general disarmament of the irresponsible military men all over Afghanistan. It took a month and half to collect ten thousand signatures from women in Mazar city. This initiative faced a strong welcome not only by women from all walk to life as teachers, government employees, house wives, girl students of university and schools, and women in institutions, but also the women section of both military faction (Jamiat and Junbish) have signed this and supported the process. For more information visit Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan.

Conference “Women and the Constitution: Kadahar 2003"
September 5, 2003
Afghan women from the villages of Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharief, Kandahar, Herat, Wardak, Jousjan, Badakhshan, Samangan, Farah, Ligar, Gardez, Kapisa, Uruzjan, Paktia, Helmand, Baghlan and Sar-e-Pul, participated in the Conference “Women and the Constitution: Kadahar 2003”, which took place in the city of Kadahar on September 5, 2003. As a result, they presented a Declaration demanding not only women’s rights to be secured but also implemented under the new Constitution. To read the full text of the Declaration please click here. For more information visit Afghan Women’s Network.

Campaign for Improved Security
August 9, 2003
More than 1000 women gathered on Baugh-e-Zanana (Women Park) in a sit-in for peace with the aim to build security throughout Afghanistan. Aware of the presence of NATO military forces, Afghan women requested them to restore peace and stop crime in their country. A Declaration for Stability, Peace and Security was approved by Afghan Women NGOs. To read the press release and the 12 point Declaration click here. For more information visit the Afghan Women's Network.

Petition for the Declaration of Afghan Women’s Fundamental Rights
July, 2001
The Comitté de Soutien aux Femmes d’Afghanistan launched a petition in favor of the Declaration of the Afghan Women’s Fundamental Rights in order to be included in the newly Constitution planned to be adopted in 2004. To sign the petition visit the Association de Soutien aux Femmes d'Afghanistan.

International

Urge the Media to Cover Afghanistan
Afghan Women's Mission
March 2005
A lack of coverage has led to an enormous drop in our donations - our projects for Afghan women and girls are being scaled down because donors assume Afghanistan is free, democratic and independent. Nothing could be further from the truth! We've made it possible for you to reach obmbudspersons and public editors at the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, Newsweek, The San Francisco Chronicle, and other media outlets on our site. Tell them that you want to read news about the real situation in Afghanistan. Ask for these organizations to put reporters on the ground and strive for accurate coverage. For more information about this campaign, please click here and and to visit the website, please click here.

USAID-sponsored Exhibit on Role of Women in Afghan Society opens today
USAID
10 November 2004
An exhibit co-sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), entitled "Out of the Shadows: The Role of Women in Afghan Society", opens today and will be on display in the South Gallery of the General Assembly Visitors' Lobby in New York until 1 December. For more information on the exhibit, call Jan Arnesen, tel: (212) 963-8531, or Liza Wichmann, tel: (212) 963-0089 of the Exhibits Unit; or Luigi Crespo, tel: (202) 712-4024 of USAID.

Cycling Forward Campaign
Beyond the 11th
11 September 2004
Founded by two widows of the September 11th attacks in New York, Beyond the 11th is a charitable organization devoted to supporting widows in war-torn areas, with a primary area of concentration in Afghanistan. Beyond the 11th offers financial and emotional support to widows who have been affected by the horrors of war and terrorism. In the process, we promote deeper cross-cultural understanding by forging authentic and lasting connections between individuals and communities. For the first Beyond the 11th fundraiser, Patti and Susan will ride from Ground Zero, in NYC, to the newly dedicated Massachusetts 9/11 Memorial in the Boston Public Garden. They will leave lower Manhattan on September 9th and arrive in Boston on September 11th, riding over 260 miles in just three days. To help raise funds, they will be joined by 200 riders on the last leg of the trip, each pledging to raise money for Beyond the 11th. The 200 riders, plus Patti and Susan, will represent the 202 names on the 9/11 Memorial. As the riders arrive at the Boston Public Garden they will be greeted by friends and family celebrating their achievement. To register for our Cycling Forward fundraiser, a bike ride from Dover to Boston on September 11, 2004, please click here, and to visit the website, please click here.

Action Alert: Boxer Introduces Bill For Afghan Women's Security and Freedom
Feminist Majority Foundation
August 2004
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduced the "Afghan Women Security and Freedom Act 2004" (S2032) before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee earlier this week. This act calls for direct funding for the Ministry of Women's Affairs, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, and Afghan women's organizations. The bill authorizes $300 million for each of the fiscal years 2005, 2006, and 2007, earmarking $20 million for the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs and $10 million for the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission each year. The act will fund programs for women in the areas of political and human rights, education and training, healthcare, and security, protection and shelter. According to the act, "not less than 25 percent of such assistance" should be provided to women-led non-governmental organizations that are located in Afghanistan. In addition, the act calls for the expansion of international peacekeeping forces and the authorization of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) and peace troops to intervene to stop human rights and women's rights violations, which the current mandates do not allow. Please email your Senators now and urge them to co-sponsor Boxer’s bill to provide the necessary support and security for Afghan women and girls. For more information, please see their website.

Women of Afghanistan Investigation Fund, July 2004
Ms. Magazine
Ms. Magazine wants to send a team of experienced international journalists to Afghanistan to document the current plight of Afghan women. In late June, three Afghan women were killed and 13 more were wounded in a bus bombing engineered by the Taliban. The Afghan women on that bus were registering women voters. Afghan warlords are determined to prevent women from participating in free elections, as this will threaten their power. Therefore, the Taliban is targeting women with brutal violence and the media is failing to report the actual situation there. To make matters worse, the United Nations says that all female registration teams in the eastern, southeastern, and southern regions of Afghanistan have been suspended. To get the real story out, Ms. magazine needs your help. Our goal is to raise $50,000 in the next 10 days for The Women of Afghanistan Investigative Fund. For more informatiion and how you can make a contribution, click here.

Repression of Women and Girls in Western Afghanistan
Amnesty International
Afghanistan is what Amnesty International deems a "human rights catastrophe". Afghan women and girls have suffered mounting abuses, harassment and restrictions of their fundamental human rights. In a working paper written in 1995, Amnesty urged the transitional government in Kabul to thoroughly and impartially investigate all reports of deliberate and arbitrary killings, rape and other torture, and bring those responsible to justice, and provide fair and adequate redress to relatives of victims, including financial compensation and appropriate medical care. It also urges the international community to support education and training programs in Afghanistan designed to promote awareness of women's rights as human rights, and it urged the UN Secretary General to ensure that the recommendations made by international human rights bodies, including the Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, are implemented. According to a recent press release (March 2004), violations of the rights of women and girls, including physical abuse, underage marriage, exchange of girls to settle feuds were widely reported to Amnesty International, and their security has been continuously under threat, even as reconstruction efforts there are underway. The release notes that women's security has only deteriorated in the last two years, and that the proposal for the reconstruction of Afghanistan does not address women's protection issues. To read more about the situation in Afghanistan and AI's recommendations for action since 1995, please click here. To read Amnesty's press release in 2004 and their recommendations for inclusion of the protection of women in the proposal for the reconstruction of Afghanistan, click here.

Maloney Introduces Afghan Women Security and Freedom Act 2004
April 5, 2004
Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), with Representatives Tom Davis (R-VA) and Corrine Brown (D-FL) introduced the "Afghan Women Security and Freedom Act 2004." The act (HR 4117) authorizes $300 million for each of the fiscal years 2005, 2006, and 2007. Introduced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in the Senate earlier this year, the act includes earmarks for $20 million for the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs and $10 million for the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission each year. Click Here to learn more about this campaign and to show your support for the bill.

Feminist Majority Campaign for Afghan Women and Girls
February, 2004
The Feminist Majority campaign objectives are to expand peace-keeping forces; support the Afghan Ministry for Women's Affairs, the Independent Human Rights Commission, and Afghan women-led non-governmental organizations (NGOs); promote the leadership of women in post-Taliban Afghanistan and increase and monitor the provision of emergency and reconstruction assistance to women and girls. Click Here to urge the Bush Administration to Take Immediate Action to Expand Peace Troops, or visit the Feminist Majority.

Ensure the Criminal Justice System in Afghanistan Protects Women's Rights
It has been two years since US forces initiated attacks in Afghanistan, to root out Al Qaeda, and to "liberate the women" of Afghanistan. However, the freedom and security of Afghan women are still severely compromised by their family members, by discriminatory laws, and by a criminal justice system that fails to protect them, such that they are far from having the ability to participate on an equal basis in family and public life. Click Here for more information or visit Amnesty International.

Peace Vigil
October 7, 2003
The Afghan Women’s Mission organized a Peace Vigil in memory of Afghan civilian victims of the United States intervention in Afghanistan. The Peace Vigil took place on the 2nd anniversary of "Operation Enduring Freedom". The purpose was to highlight that almost two years after the toppling of the Taliban, Afghanistan is as far from peace, democracy and stability as it was before September 11th, 2001. The vigil was held on Tuesday, October 7th, 2003 in West Los Angeles. The initiative was fully supported by the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. For more information visit Afghan Women’s Mission.

Occupy the Occupiers
August 22, 2003
The Afghan Women's Mission, Not in Our Name, and International ANSWER launched this initiative to protest against the US military intervention in Afghanistan, which not only caused the dead of thousand of innocent civilians but also installed an allied government disregarding political leaders’ history of abuse of human rights. The demonstration took place on August 22, 2003 when Southern Californians joined in occupying the lawn of the Westwood Federal Building. Click here to read the press release. For more information visit Afghan Women’s Mission.

Back to School Campaign
This campaign not only address the need for educational opportunities for Afghan women and girls but also their health needs and the threatening condition of the region. For more information visit The Feminist Majority Foundation.

“Afghanistan Unveiled”
April 24, 2003
The Asia Foundation released the film “Afghanistan Unveiled”, a documentary based on a training program developed for Afghan women journalists. The women who filmed the documentary were the first female journalists to be trained in Afghanistan in more than a decade, and the first ever to be trained in digital media. This documentary focuses primarily on past and current experiences of four Afghan women, and in the stories of the women journalists themselves, who were not allowed to appear in public, let alone travel, during the Taliban era. The film “Afghanistan Unveiled” was screened at the 26th annual Mill Valley Film Festival on October 4, 2003. For more information visit The Asia Foundation.

Invest in Caring Not Killing
March 8, 2003
Every 8th March, the Global Women's Strike realities a strike in over 60 countries on every continent. The key demand of the strike on March 8, 2003 was “payment for all caring work in wages, pensions, land and other resources. What is more valuable than raising children and caring others? Invest in life and welfare, not military budgets and prisons”. Other demands included pay equity for all, women and men; food security for breastfeeding mothers; paid maternity leave and breastfeeding breaks; don’t pay the “third world debt”; accessible clean water, healthier, housing, transport and literacy; not polluting energy and technology; protection and asylum from all violence and persecution, and freedom of movement. For more information visit Global Women’s Strike.

Living Shadows Campaign
1998
WomenAid launched Living Shadows, an ongoing solidarity campaign for the women of Afghanistan. The denial of their basic human rights is one of the most flagrant abuses of human rights in any country and has turned them into voiceless shadows. For more information visit WomenAid.