Apparently Rolling Stone magazine gets more attention from President Obama than the plight of women in Afghanistan.
The recent peace jirga, or council of elders meeting, calls for direct talks with the Taliban in an attempt to begin a peace negotiation and to reintegrate moderate Taliban foot soldiers into Afghan society. This strategy needs to be evaluated on the basis of how it impacts the primary U.S. objective of ensuring that Afghanistan does not revert to a haven for Islamic radicals such as Al Qaeda intent on attacking the U.S. and its interests. It should also consider the role of women. "Any deals with the Taliban and other fundamentalist groups should not be at the expense of women's rights. What small gains that have been won by women in Afghanistan must not be up for negotiation," said Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch.
Prior to Taliban rule in Afghanistan, women were protected under law and were increasingly employed in all sectors of the Afghan economy. For example, according to a State Department report, in the 1960's they were given the right to vote and by the 1970's Afghan women comprised 15% of the highest legislative body. They were guaranteed the right of education and in the early 1990's up to 70% of schoolteachers, 50% of university students and 40% of doctors were women. The Taliban brutally imposed their version of sharia law including women not being able to attend school or have a job. Their legacy of oppression continues to shape policies towards women today.
After the fall of the Taliban, women's rights saw immediate gains. For example, from 2001-2005, many women entered into all levels of the political fabric of Afghanistan, and there was a general positive trend for women's rights. Since 2005, however, conservative leaders have traded women's rights for votes. As the peace jirga indicated, future deals with fundamentalist groups are clearly on the political agenda and its hard to see how the Obama Administration timetable and endgame strategy "guarantees" a better outcome for women with the Taliban at the table.
Afghan woman continue to be among the worst off in the world. According to a United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan report, maternal rates are among the world's highest resulting in 25,000 deaths per year. Forced and early marriage continues to be a widespread practice-often in connection with land and property issues-with 43% of females marrying under the age of 18. Literacy among women remains at 12.6%.
Echoing the sentiments of Laura Bush, who made women's rights in Afghanistan a signature issue, Secretary Clinton recently said, "Women are central to long-term stability and our strategy to promote security, good governance, and economic and social development inside Afghanistan." While she created the new Office of Global Women's Issues, it is unclear how the Obama Administration policies will accomplish this objective in the end. Personalities as diverse as Richard Holbrooke, Robert Gates, and philanthropist Greg Mortenson, whose book Three Cups of Tea was used as required reading by the Pentagon, unanimously acknowledge the need to prioritize advancing the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan for our long term security.
On the national level, the plight of women continues to deteriorate under President Karzai. In March 2009, he signed the Shia Personal Status Law, a legislation that includes provisions mandating a woman to ask permission to leave the house and a duty to "make herself up" or "dress up" at the demand of her husband. Though the Shia population makes up only 20% of the entire Afghan population, this law repeals previous rights gains for millions of women and underlines Karzai's willingness to substitute women's rights for fundamentalist votes.
The convergence of the July 2011 withdrawal, an increase in violence and suicide bombings in Afghanistan and Karzai's recently expressed doubts that the West can defeat the Taliban, amount to a perfect storm for women's rights. A long term U.S. security strategy for Afghanistan will not forget the importance and dignity of women in Afghanistan. As Wazhma Frogh, another activist in Kabul said, "We have the promises of the world. But still we have to see what more they will do." Are women in Afghanistan looking forward to the July 2011 deadline as much as the Taliban?
