At a four-day conference at the Afghan Supreme Court in Kabul last week, over 180 female judges affiliated with the Afghan Women Judges Association (AWJA) and other leaders discussed strategies for improving the number of Afghanistan’s female judges and ensuring justice to those who come to the courts. Women now make up 10 percent of […]
Supreme Court Reversed Woman’s Torture Case in Afghanistan
A case of three Afghans who were jailed for torturing a girl has been reversed by the Afghan Supreme Court. Sahar Gul was sold for $5,000 to a 30 years old man New York Times said . She was forced to marry in 2011 in her 13 or 14 years of age. As a result, […]
Taliban Agrees to US, Afghan Peace Talks; Afghanistan Backs Out
A day after the Taliban announced that it will agree to peace talks with the United States and Afghanistan, the Afghan government has announced it will not participate until Afghanistan plays a larger lead role. Senior US officials confirmed that two key conditions of the negotiations would be that the Taliban breaks ties with al-Qaeda […]
Women’s Rights Advocate Slain in Afghanistan
Najia Seddiqi, the head of women’s affairs for Laghman province and known women’s rights activist, was murdered yesterday on her way to her office. She was getting into a rickshaw when two gunmen on a motorbike shot her. She was traveling with no bodyguards despite multiple requests for protection from authorities, according to her family. […]
Donor Nations Pledge $16 Million in Aid to Afghanistan
International donors, including the US and Japan, pledged $16 million in development aid to Afghanistan at the Tokyo Conference yesterday. Four million dollars will be provided annually through 2015. By providing this assistance, the international community expressed its commitment to assist with the stabilization of Afghanistan as international troops are withdrawn from the country. In […]
Open Letter to Obama, Karzai Urges Women’s Inclusion in Afghanistan Talks
Amnesty International issued an open letter to President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai at their “Shadow Summit” Saturday urging both leaders to safeguard women’s rights. Forty-six people signed the open letter, including Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal and Ms. magazine founder Gloria Steinem. Other signatories include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright; […]
Concerns Arise over Maternal Mortality in Afghanistan
Politicians, economists and activists gathered at the Bonn Conference in early December expressed concerns regarding the impact of the withdrawal of th US on maternal mortality. Sarah Pickworth, a public health specialist in Afghanistan stated, “The greatest risk at present is through aid levels dropping off precipitously. Without sufficient funding, there is likely to be […]
Maternal Mortality Decreases in Afghanistan
The Afghanistan Mortality Survey (AMS) 2010, sponsored by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, the US Government, and the British Department for International Development, revealed that over the past five years, maternal and infant mortality has declined dramatically in Afghanistan. According to the research, there are “500 deaths per 100,000 live births,” as compared to 2005 […]
World Leaders Meet in Afghanistan
World leaders from over 70 countries met in Kabul, Afghanistan, yesterday for an International Conference on Afghanistan,with the goal of helping the war-torn country restore itself economically, socially and politically. Among the attendees were Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Secretary Clinton spoke […]
Afghan War Crimes Victims Lobby Against the Afghanistan Peace Jirga
A coalition of Afghan war crimes victims is lobbying against the Afghanistan Peace Jirga and the Afghanistan government’s effort to begin a reconciliation process with the Taliban and other insurgents. The Afghanistan Peace Jirga, which took place early last week, brought together approximately 1,600 delegates from around Afghanistan to discuss building peace and the motives […]
Global Maternal Mortality Drops, Afghanistan Has Highest Rate
The average rate at which mothers die during childbirth has dropped globally by approximately 40 percent since 1980, according to a study recently released by The Lancet, a European medical journal. Afghanistan ranked highest, as reported by a research team led by Christopher J.L. Murray at the University of Washington, with 1,575 maternal deaths for […]
Boxer Pushes for Focus on Women at Upcoming Afghanistan Conference
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) sent a letter to President Barack Obama Friday urging a stronger focus on Afghan women and girls at an international conference on Afghanistan to be held in London this week. In her letter, Boxer indicated deep concern that women are “not being viewed as an essential element” in the US’s Afghanistan […]
UN Launches Violence Against Women in Afghanistan Campaign
The UN announced a 16 day campaign to eliminate violence against women in Afghanistan in a press conference today. During the campaign, which ends on Human Rights Day, the UN is “supporting a diverse range of activities across Afghanistan to enhance awareness and, by extension, to mobilize or increase attention” to the problem of violence […]
US Contractors in Afghanistan Accused of Sex Trafficking
Contractors hired to guard the United States Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan have been accused of sex trafficking. One guard was heard “boasting” about the profit he could turn if he was able to “purchase a girl for $20,000.” The same guard claimed to join the force because he “knew someone who owned prostitutes there,” according […]
Women Were Unable to Vote in Some Parts of Afghanistan
Reports indicate that many women were unable to vote in some parts of Afghanistan and that women’s voting cards were used to stuff ballot boxes in the country’s presidential election earlier this month. In some areas that are not controlled by the Taliban, however, women were nearly 60 percent of voters, according to the Christian […]
Women’s Vote Threatened in Afghanistan
The participation of many Afghan women in Thursday’s elections is threatened by strict polling regulations and fraud. A severe shortage of female workers to staff women-only polling places will limit the ability of millions of women cast their ballots, reports the Independent UK. The country’s Independent Election Commission says it needs 13,000 additional women to […]
Revised Shia Law Published Days Before Afghanistan Elections
The controversial Shia family law, with some revisions, that restricts the rights of Shia women in Afghanistan was published in the country’s official Gazette on July 27th, making the law’s provisions official. The law applies only to Afghanistan’s 10-20 percent Shia minority. President Hamid Karzai published the law as he courts fundamentalist Shia mullahs in […]
Why Is the FMF Refusing to Abandon the Women and Girls of Afghanistan?
Afghanistan is in deplorable condition. There’s no disputing that. Some feel that we should just walk away.
Capitol Hill Briefing Highlights Maternal Health in Afghanistan
Congresswomen and global health administrators held a briefing on Capitol Hill Tuesday to highlight the issue of maternal health in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has the second-highest maternal mortality rate in the world according to UNICEF. Women’s Policy Inc. sponsored the event in collaboration with the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues. Melanne Verveer, the first-ever Ambassador-at-Large for […]
Afghanistan Amends Shia Law
Afghanistan’s Justice Ministry yesterday released a revision of the controversial Shia law that legalized rape within marriage, among other provisions. The Associated Press reports that the new version omits original provisions that allowed men to demand sex from their wives and that required women to ask their husbands’ permission to leave their home. The law […]