Afghanistan’s first female provincial governor was appointed by President Hamid Karzai last week. Habiba Sorabi, former Minister of Women’s Affairs, has been selected to head the central province of Bamiyan, Afghanistan. According to Agence France Presse, 200 people went to the streets to protest her appointment but were soon overrun by 1,000 supporters who came out in the streets to celebrate Sorabi.
Sorabi sees her appointment as an opportunity to raise awareness about women’s rights that are enshrined in Afghanistan’s new constitution, reports Reuters. Sorabi told Agence France Presse that “the biggest challenge for women generally in Afghanistan is safety from warlords and commanders. Security is very important for women to be able to go to court or visit rights associations.” She also stated that reconstructing Bamiyan will be another great challenge because the region virtually lacks power and asphalt roads.
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