WUNRN
Jalal Foundation - http://jalal-foundation.org/
An Afghan Women-Focused Foundation
with
50 NGO & Women's Council Members
Nationwide
Dr. Massouda Jalal
Founding Chairperson, Jalal Foundation and
Former Minister of Women, the Islamic
Despite desperate efforts of anti-government
elements to thwart the 2014 electoral process, the will of the Afghan people
prevailed. We made it. With our performance in both the main election and the
run-off, we were able to show to the world that our security forces are
robust enough to protect our infant democracy and our people remain worthy of
international support.
This is not to say that the recent election had
already solved the many issues that make life difficult for our people. But it spawned a fresh surge of optimism
and confidence in the future of our fragile democracy. For Afghan women, the election promises a
chance to build upon the gains of the past 13 years. The imminent departure
of the international security forces has fueled concerns about evident
clawing back of the gains in the women’s front. Taliban-style cruelties
against women has resurfaced, incidents of reported violence has increased,
the validity of the decree on the elimination of violence against women
(EVAW) was questioned by the Parliament, and the Parliament removed the 25
percent quota for women in the provincial and district councils under the
National Election Law. The on-going
return of Taliban in mainstream society and their increasing influence in
national decision making has started to make matters worse for the Afghan
women.
However, with any of the two looming Presidential
winners, Afghan women have reasons to expect that the downward spiral of
their struggle may eventually cease. It is a known fact that both Abdullah Abdullah
and Ashraf Ghani made strong commitments to promote women’s empowerment
before the elections. Abdullah
Abdullah was well-supported by Afghan women in his campaign and he declared
that he will pursue any agenda that will be collectively endorsed by the
women’s sector. Ashraf Ghani, on the other hand, stated that women’s
empowerment is part of his platform. Unlike Hamid Karzai, he raises the
public profile of his wife (a Lebanese-American Christian) and even allowed
her to deliver a speech in this year’s celebration of International Women’s
Day. This is an indication that in case he wins, his wife may serve as a
backdoor champion of women’s agenda and become a new role model for women in
the country.
A new President will certainly bring a fresh set of
leaders and officials in government. There is a chance that the Ministry of
Women, largely criticized for its lack of mettle and capacity, may get a new
Minister who could shake up the entire government to work for women’s
advancement. The long-standing
commitment of the government to position women in at least 30 percent of
decision making posts in government may also receive a much needed push.
During his ten years of incumbency, Karzai never managed to have any more
than three women in his Cabinet. This time, women could get a shot at
campaigning for even 40 to 50 percent of new Cabinet seats for women. The first 100 days of the new
administration could also be auspicious to pursue policies that are highly
essential to women’s empowerment such as women’s right to property and
inheritance, the right to travel, the enactment of the law on EVAW and
prosecution of offenders of women’s rights, which unfortunately include
police officers and relatives of public officials. The 25 percent quota for women in provincial
and district councils should also be restored and this may be possible under
the new administration.
More importantly, the government could re-think
its posturing in regard to the peace process with the Taliban. The women’s
sector urges the government to negotiate peace from a position of strength by
insisting that cessation of armed hostilities be recognized as a
pre-condition to the peace process.
Sites such as schools and markets should be declared as zones of
peace. Women’s rights should be written off as a negotiation piece, and
returning Taliban combatants should go through a mandatory de-radicalization
process. It is springtime in
Afghanistan’s political landscape and hope springs liberally in the circle of
the women’s movement.
The new President will need
the full support of the Afghan nation and the international community. While our economy is slowly moving forward,
we are still challenged by lack of capacity to generate the resources needed
to run our government and pay for the salaries of our civil servants and
public officials. We need to upgrade public services for transportation,
health, education, communication and build infrastructures that are needed by
our ever-bulging population. We need a major economic strategy to fire up countryside
productivity and ensure that our abundant natural resources are mined and
utilized to fuel long term national growth.
More importantly, our fighters need continuing ammunitions to
eliminate the enemies of peace. Afghanistan has no option but to find peace
and progress. Let the seeds of the past 13 years germinate and bear fruits
under its new government.