Support women’s rights activists in Afghanistan
More than 22,000 people urged the Foreign Secretary to ensure that Afghan women’s hard won but fragile rights are not traded away in the name of peace.
Across the country men and women have designed kites, worn green scarves, held candlelit vigils, sold cakes, signed petitions and so much more - raising awareness and ensuring that the UK government uphold their promises, and champion the rights of Afghan women. As a result the UK government have declared their commitment to working with the Afghan government and civil society to improve the rights of women. This would not have been possible without your fantastic support and activism!
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As a result of all your hard campaigning, on 28th November Sweeta Noori, Country Director of Women for Women International Afghanistan, was invited to meet with Alistair Burt, the Foreign Office Minister with responsibility for affairs in Afghanistan, and Lynne Featherstone, International Violence Against Women Champion. As part of the No Women No Peace campaign delegation, Sweeta discussed the issues highlighted by the Afghan Women’s Network who are calling upon the international community to:
- Use its influence to ensure women have an effective voice and role in all levels of the peace process: at the national, provincial and district levels.
- Work with the Afghan government to ensure that all human rights in the constitution are upheld in any peace settlement. These include women’s right to an education and the right to participate in political life with a guaranteed 30% female quota in parliament.
- Increase support to development programmes that promote women’s rights and wellbeing in political, social and economic spheres.
Alistair Burt MP stated his support for the women of Afghanistan: “Women have an important role to play in the development of a stable and prosperous Afghanistan. While women continue to face enormous challenges to their daily lives, I am encouraged by signs of progress and welcome their involvement, alongside wider civil society, at the Bonn conference. The UK government is working to support the empowerment of women in Afghanistan and will continue to do so after our combat troops leave at the end of 2014.”
We can’t stop here – continue your support for women in Afghanistan:
- Keep up the campaigning and Join us on the Bridge in 2012 – last year 75,000 people stood together on bridges to stand in solidarity with women in war torn countries to call for peace. To receive updates about what you can do on International Women’s Day, 8th March 2012 please sign up to receive UK email updates.
- You can help - sponsor a woman in Afghanistan. By sponsoring a woman in Afghanistan you will be providing her with access to an education, vocational skills and the economic opportunities that will make her independent and respected. She will then become a woman with a voice that can influence her community and be the change Afghanistan needs now. Sponsor a woman now.
For further information email supportuk@womenforwomen.org with the subject line 'Afghan Women'.
Learn more about the campaign. 
Green scarves have become a symbol of women’s rights activism in Afghanistan and are used to express international solidarity. Over 1,000 people submitted their photos to the Green Scarves for Solidarity with Afghan Women campaign in November 2011, thousands of Afghan women wore green scarves during the Five Million Women Campaign on women’s political participation leading up to the 2009 Presidential elections and the Afghan Women’s Network used the scarves at the 2010 London conference on Afghanistan and National Peace Consultative Jirga.
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