Women's rights in Afghanistan
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'There cannot be national security without women's security, there can be no peace when women's lives are fraught with violence, when out children can't go to schools, when we cannot step on the streets for fear of acid attacks.' Mary Akrami, Director of the Afghan Women Skills Development Centre, January, 2010 |
In Afghanistan, women and girls continue to face widespread discrimination, domestic violence, and abduction and rape. They continue to be trafficked, traded in settlement of disputes and debts, and forced into marriages, including under-age marriages.
Women and girls are also specifically targeted for attack by the Taleban and other armed groups.
We are calling for an end to violence against women in Afghanistan and for women's full and meaningful participation in all peace processes.
Women's rights and the Taleban
The London Conference on Afghanistan and the Kabul Conference marked the formal pledge by the Afghan government and its international partners to reintegrate what it calls moderate elements of the Taleban into Afghan society.
Afghan civil society, particularly women's groups, have raised serious questions about the prospect for human rights in Afghanistan if the Taleban are invited to join the political process.
