WUNRN
UNIFEM: Institutional progress for women not matched by reality on the ground/ concern over growing acceptance of violence against women.
United
Nations — To
mark International
Women’s Day, women across Afghanistan will come together for a Prayer for
Peace with Justice. The gatherings will take place at 10:00 a.m., 8 March
throughout the country in Kandahar, Bamyan, Kabul, Herat, Mazar, Daikundi and
Jalalabad. At the gatherings, the women will wear scarves whose blue colour
matches that of the burka,
the garment widely regarded as a symbol of women’s oppression under the Taliban
regime.
"The
women in Afghanistan deliberately chose this colour to call attention to the
need to look beyond the burka
toward a future where women's contribution to society is fully
acknowledged," says Wenny Kusuma, UNIFEM country director in Afghanistan.
"The situation for women in Afghanistan is very mixed. There are a lot of
achievements to point to institutionally, such as the Constitution, which
stipulates gender equality, but the situation on the ground is not matched by
the progress on paper," she adds. “In particular, we see with ever-growing
concern a return to a public acceptance of violence against women that is not
addressed with the legal means in existence." It is estimated
that more than 87 percent of women in Afghanistan are subjected to
domestic violence.
UNIFEM is
supporting the Prayer for Peace with Justice on 8 March that is expected to be
the first gathering of this size and scope in Afghanistan. The idea for the
prayer gathering was born last year, when a small group of women in Kandahar, one
of the most volatile areas of Afghanistan, spread the word to friends and
colleagues, expecting only a few women to show up. In the end, more than 1,500
women gathered in Kandahar on that day.
"Afghan
women are tired of being subject to egregious acts of violence, they are tired
of watching their family and friends being killed, and they refuse to accept
the pervasive political, cultural and economic violence that woman face on a
daily basis, both at home and in their pursuit to participate in public life,"
says Rangina Hamidi, a women's rights and peace activist in Kandahar.
This year
the Prayer for Peace with Justice will be supported by radio messages,
broadcast throughout the day, from prominent women and men in the region and
from the International Community, such as Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi and
UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi.
UNIFEM has
been engaged in Afghanistan since 2002 and is running its largest country
programme there, supporting women to effectively participate in social, economic
and political processes. Particular focus lies on ensuring that a gender
perspective is integrated into all aspects of Afghanistan's legal and judicial
reform. UNIFEM also assists the Ministry of Women's Affairs to build the
capacity of its staff and enable the Ministry to take the lead in ensuring that
women's needs are addressed throughout the Afghan Government.
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