Afghan women slowly cast off veil of oppression

Afghan women have new freedom, but tradition still weighs on their shoulders Keystone Archive

A group of Afghan women visiting Switzerland has been drawing attention to the ongoing battle for equal rights in their country.

The ten women say their situation has improved enormously since the fall of the Taliban regime, but much remains to be done.

All of the members of the group say that foreign aid to Afghanistan will do much towards reconstructing their country. Switzerland has already pledged over SFr30 million towards reconstruction and development projects.

Money may not be the solution to rebuilding Afghan society, though.

“What we need now is support, not more money,” said Noori. “Support means giving us information that will allow us to run our country, understanding our situation.”

Women in Afghanistan are still facing a difficult situation, despite radical improvements since the end of the Taliban government.

Denied any rights

The Taliban imposed severe restrictions on women, limiting their freedom of movement, forcing them to wear “burqas” (long veil that covers the entire body), banning them from work, and refusing them access to basic health care and education.

With a new government, Afghanistan’s women are once again making their way back into public life. They have begun to work again, are sending their daughters to school, and are shedding their burqas, even if it is not an easy step.

“I stopped wearing a burqa in public just three weeks ago,” said Afifa Azim of the Afghan Women’s Network.

Women’s rights are slowly becoming a reality in Afghanistan, but the road to equality is going to be a long one and still fraught with difficulties.

“In Kabul, we can walk around without a veil,” said Sina Noori, an employee of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the Afghan capital. “But in some areas, women can’t go out without a burqa, even if they have begun to work again.”

Part of the problem stems from local traditions, rather than Islamic law.

Social pressures

“Often women are not even allowed to travel anywhere without a male relative,” said Suzanne Schmeidl, who travelled to Afghanistan recently for the Swisspeace foundation. “There are strong social pressures on women to conform with tradition.”

Because of these pressures, large numbers of women still prefer themselves to carry on wearing the burqa. “Around half of the women in Kabul wear the veil because they feel insecure,” Noori told swissinfo.

To overcome some of the hurdles faced by women in Afghanistan, a new ministry has been created especially to deal with these issues.

Sexual equality

“Our job is to make women aware of their rights, about gender equality, and about what their role is in the reconstruction of the country,” said Zahra Yari of the Afghan ministry for women’s affairs.

The lack of a strong central government and a fragmented country means though that the march towards to equality will be slow, according to Schmeidl.

“Most Afghan women know that it will be a slow process,” she told swissinfo. “If it went too quickly, there would most likely be a backlash from the men.”

The group of ten women were invited to Switzerland by the exChange For Peace programme. Americans as well as representatives from Kyrgyzstan and the Russian republic of Tatarstan joined them to exchange their views and ideas over 12 days.

Education

The Swiss visit was an opportunity for the Afghans to highlight some their society’s other needs, in particular for education.

“We were especially pleased to be able to learn about the use of technology in teaching,” said Malalai Safar, a member of the Afghan Civil Society Forum.

The programme was sponsored by both Swiss companies and the government, including Presence Switzerland, the body which promotes the country’s image abroad.

Through workshops, discussions and by just spending time together, the programme was designed to encourage dialogue between people from different cultures.

“I realised how ignorant Americans are of world affairs,” said David Alcorn, a trainee teacher. “I came here not knowing what to expect, but I discovered we have the same dreams.”

by Scott Capper

Key facts

Switzerland has pledged over SFr30 million to Afghan reconstruction and development projects.
exChange for Peace has invited 40 people from Afghanistan, the United States, Kyrgyzstan and the Russian republic of Tatarstan.
swisspeace supports the Afghan Civil Society Forum.

In brief

A group of ten Afghan women are visiting Switzerland as part of the Exchange for Peace programme.

They all agree that the situation has vastly improved for women since the fall of the Taliban regime, but say much still remains to be done.

Because of tradition, women in the provinces don’t have the same freedom as women in the capital, Kabul.

Afghan women say they want more foreign support for reforms, but not necessarily more money.