The Women and Children Legal Research Foundation (WCLRF), with funding from the Open Society Foundation of Afghanistan (OSF), released a report entitled Women’s Political Engagement in Afghanistan and Access to Voting Rights. The report provides an analysis of women’s engagement in the country’s political processes, how women perceive their political rights, and the need for greater education on these issues.
WCLRF hosted an event to release its report, which brought together government officials, some members of the National Assembly, Kabul Provincial Council, and representatives from civil society organizations and the media.
The report contends that women’s participation during the 2004 presidential and provincial council elections was the catalyst for more women to engage in the country’s political process and access their voting rights. Afghan women’s participation as voters and candidates during the 2005 and 2010 National Assembly elections and the 2009 presidential elections increased slightly over the 2004 elections. Women’s representation in provincial councils and community development shuras [councils] has also increased.
The report draws such conclusions through a series of interviews. WCLRF interviewed 3,000 women from all 34 provinces, including 2,900 voters, 49 successful candidates from the National Assembly and Provincial Councils, and 51 unsuccessful candidates to share their opinions on women’s engagement in the country’s politics.
According to WCLRF, after the past decade of democratic development, women are better equipped to defend their voting rights and their engagement in the country’s political processes.
According to WCLRF, after the past decade of democratic development, women are better equipped to defend their voting rights and their engagement in the country’s political processes.
Based on the report, 94 percent of the women interviewed agree that women’s engagement in politics is important, but with slight differences in who agrees and how much. For instance, 100 percent of university students and 83.5 percent of high school students agree on this issue.
Most university student interviewees who voted in past elections also reported voting for women candidates. And 60 percent of the women candidates whom they voted for succeeded in the elections.
Interviewees explained that they voted for women candidates with the belief that once elected into office, women would better facilitate educational opportunities.
In some cases, interviewees voted for men candidates and often cited personal relationships or familial decisions as reasons for their vote.
WCLRF concludes that the report illustrates a deep demand for more education. Women need basic training on elections and voting rights to increase their awareness about the role and importance of their political participation.
Hangama Anwari, founder of WCLRF suggests that although women have the right to engage in political processes, too many obstacles prohibit Afghan women from exercising their political rights. “Lack of access to financial resources, use of women as tools in politics, as well as traditional barriers are the main constraints faced by women in Afghanistan.”
Farkhuda Zahra Naderi, a member of the Afghan National Assembly warns: “Women as 25 percent of the National Assembly does not mean that women’s participation is ensured in every field.” She argues that the same percentage of women should be represented in the executive and judiciary branches. “We only have three women ministers in the cabinet, but no remarkable presence of women in the judicial branch. This shows government’s inattention to this issue,” she explained.
WCLRF hosted an event to release its report, which brought
together government officials, some members of the National
Assembly, Kabul Provincial Council, and representatives from
civil society organizations and the media.
Najila Ayubi, OSF’s director in Afghanistan, agrees that many challenges remain in promoting women’s political participation. “The government has made several promises to gain women’s trust, but no one has followed through yet on these promises. Violation of women’s rights increases by the day and government pays no attention to this,” she said.
According to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), in the last four months 52 women were killed across the country, 42 out of which are honor killings. This statistic shows 20 more cases than last year. A 22 year old woman, Najiba, was shot dead in Ghorband District of Parwan Province because of suspicion of adultery. Reports on the poisoning of hundreds of schoolgirls in several northern provinces and the assassination of Hanifa Safi, Director of the Department of Women’s Affairs in Laghman Province, have highlighted the dangers still faced by women.
