[ad_1]
“The Taliban must realize that they face a new Afghanistan in which they will have to learn to live,” said Fawzia Koofi, a politician and women’s rights activist involved in the talks.
During his career, he has survived two assassination attempts, one until last month.
“Being in my role is unusual for a woman in Afghanistan, so you really have to find your own way and avoid all those who do not believe in a woman’s place in these contexts,” she continues.
Requirements for the burqa
Under the Taliban rule in the country, between 1996 and 2001, the situation for Afghan women was difficult in many ways. Wearing the long burqa garment was required, women were expelled from their jobs and girls were prohibited from going to school.
Today, the situation has improved, albeit marginally, and more and more women are participating in higher education and taking their place in politics.
However, the country remains an Islamic republic with a fairly gender-segregated society, despite the fact that full equality between women and men must prevail according to the constitution.
Concerns for the future
The Taliban movement has a conservative view of women and several of the women negotiators fear that compromises with them could lead to a deterioration in the situation of women in the country.
– All women in Afghanistan are afraid that every time there is a political change in the country, women will get sick, says Fatima Gailani, an expert on Islamic law, who is also participating in the talks.
– I want to see an Afghanistan where you do not fear for your safety. If we don’t do it now, it will never happen, he concludes.
Fixed: A previous version of the article had an incorrect number. It is true that 21 people are part of the Afghan government delegation.
Afghanistan is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for women. Widespread physical and sexual violence, armed conflict, female genital mutilation, and a lack of medical care and education seriously threaten women’s health and lives, according to a 2019 Thomson Reuters Foundation survey.
24 percent of the country’s women are literate and only 13 percent are professionals. Almost no woman owns her own land. A staggering 87 percent say they have ever been affected by gender-based violence.
However, since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001, the situation has steadily improved.
The number of boys attending school has increased from 1 million to 8.2 million, of which the proportion of girls has increased from almost none to 40%. The number of trained midwives has tripled, reducing maternal mortality by several hundred percent.
Women also participate more than ever in decision-making bodies. 28% of MEPs are women. This is a higher figure than, for example, Canada, whose female members represent 27% of Parliament.
Sources: Sida, UN Women, Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, World Bank
[ad_2]
