Don’t sell out Afghan women in the search for peace, campaigners urge Hague 10 years after military intervention
Ten years on from the start of military intervention in Afghanistan Women for Women International UK is teaming up with organizations such as Amnesty International UK, CARE International UK and Oxfam GB to urge the Foreign Secretary to ensure that Afghan women’s hard won but fragile rights do not become a bargaining chip to be traded away in the name of peace. Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK said "The peace process in Afghanistan mustn’t mean putting a price on women’s rights. These are non-negotiable. They’re the ‘red lines’ that the Afghan community, Nato and countries like the UK must insist on."
Women and girls in Afghanistan have suffered severely through three decades of conflict. The direct and indirect consequences of continuing war are stark: 87% of women in Afghanistan report having experienced at least one form of violence. Access to basic healthcare is minimal and maternal mortality is amongst the highest in the world. Furthermore, women are sidelined from discussions towards peace at community, national and international levels.
Howard Mollett, Conflict Policy Advisor for CARE International UK said: "Violence against women in Afghanistan needs to be seen as a key indicator for wider insecurity in the country, not a marginal concern. If girls in education fear acid attacks, and women in positions of authority live in fear, then what hope for broader peace and stability in the country or region?"
At the London Conference in January 2010, an important marker on the route to peace, women were all but excluded. Just one woman was invited to the Kabul Conference in July 2010. Upcoming talks in Bonn, Germany in December must not allow the same mistake to happen again as it would fatally undermine both the legitimacy and the effectiveness of the talks. The international community, in its drive for an exit strategy from Afghanistan, is seeking a political process that legitimates withdrawal of troops. Any process on the future of Afghanistan must be driven by the needs of all Afghans, and result in sustainable security and peace.
Shaheen Chugtai, Humanitarian Policy Advisor, Oxfam GB said: “A just and lasting peace is necessary in order to improve the lives of all Afghans. We have to remind William Hague and the international community that the best way of achieving such as peace is by making sure that Afghan women are meaningfully involved at all levels of negotiation and that explicit guarantees of their constitutional rights are built into any peace deal.”
