08 March 2007
Afghan Activists Committed to Improving Women's Conditions
Women honored for work to improve women's rights, education in Afghanistan
Washington -- Improving conditions for women in Afghanistan requires a long-term commitment, two Afghan activists said March 7.
Mary Akrami and Aziza Siddiqui, recognized by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for their efforts to promote women's rights in Afghanistan, told USINFO that Afghanistan needs long-term support from the international community.
Her nation suffered greatly during wars and Taliban rule, and it is a difficult struggle to rebuild, Akrami said. In this struggle, she said, "we don't want to be alone."
Akrami and Siddiqui were two of 10 women receiving the International Women of Courage Award from Rice. It is the first time the award has been given.
In celebration of International Women’s Day 2007, Rice paid tribute to these women for their commitment to promoting women’s rights. The award recognizes women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership. (See related article.)
The women, who both had been refugees in Pakistan, returned to Afghanistan because the country needed them to help rebuild, Siddiqui said. Despite threats made against them, they continue to work to protect women, teach decision-making skills and promote education.
Akrami is the director of the Afghan Women Skills Development Center, which is the first women's shelter in Kabul, Afghanistan. She saw a need for such a shelter when a woman was arrested after being accused of disrespecting her father-in-law. The woman was found innocent, but was afraid to leave the jail for fear of how her family and society would react to the incident. Akrami realized that others like this woman needed a safe place to go.
Today the shelter takes in runaways and women released from prison who do not feel safe returning home. The shelter's staff provides legal advice, literacy classes, psychological counseling and basic skills training.
Siddiqui is the women's rights coordinator with Action Aid, an Afghan nongovernmental organization. She often meets with women in rural areas, where there is less access to education. Siddiqui organizes training sessions on decision-making and currently is teaching women in Afghanistan's Northern Provinces about their rights.
Women in rural Afghanistan do not have access to the educational and other facilities found in Kabul, because generally organizations have been working only in the cities, according to Siddiqui. To really understand the basic problems facing Afghan women, she said, it is important to speak to the women in rural communities and see what issues they regularly address.
Under Taliban rule and as refugees, women were not educated, Siddiqui said. But today "we have resources, we have a lot of funding from the international community -- but still we need to do lot for our education system," she said. For example, she explained, even though there might be a school building, there might not be chairs for the students. Much improvement is needed, she said, and that improvement is important because better education will help rebuild the country.
Akrami said she felt that the award she received was honoring all women of Afghanistan. She said it gave her the courage to keep doing the best she can for the women of her country.
Siddiqui agreed with her colleague. "It is not just that I am receiving this award," she said. "It goes to all those Afghan women struggling for women's rights in Afghanistan in a very critical situation. I am proud that we have women activists working for Afghan women in Afghanistan."
For more information on U.S. policies, see Women in the Global Community.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
