Afghan Women in Peace Processes
By
Zieba Shorish-Shamley, Ph. D. |
Most Afghans believe that after the former Soviets withdrawal from
Afghanistan, the United Nations and the international community
predominately, but not exclusively, limited their peace initiatives to
negotiation between the warring factions and their foreign supporters.
Therefore, the unarmed and non-combatant, ninety-five percent of the Afghan
people, including the Afghan women were trapped in a vicious and perpetual
cycle of war. This strategy of peace initiative in Afghanistan has failed.
Within the peace initiative set by the United Nations, the situation of women
and girls in Afghanistan not only must be realized and abuses remedied, but
Afghan women need to be incorporated in the peace process from the onset.
Restoration of Afghan woman's rights must be implemented and insured. Afghan
women need to be given an equal opportunity to participate in the civic and
social sectors of their country; this involves their participation in the
Grand Assembly (Loya Jirga), Parliament and in the future broad - based
governance body of Afghanistan. Peace without restoration of woman's rights
can never be true peace
Recommendations to the United Nations and the United States for A Possible
Viable Peace Solution: The Following Recommendations Are the Result of
Interviews Held with Various Afghan Scholars, Experts, Journalists, Women's
Rights Advocates and others.
- The United Nations forces must move into the city of Kabul to demilitarize
the city. The Grand Assembly (Loya Jirga ) should take place under the
auspicious of the United Nations. The Grand Assembly must include
representations from all Afghan ethnic groups, political groups, military
factions, religious groups, and proportional representations of the Afghan
women.The Grand Assembly processes should form the interim government.
- This government may stay in power for about two years during which the
repatriation of the refugees and the reconstruction of Afghanistan should
start.
- When peace and security is restored, free election should take place,
where a broad-based, democratic, representative government is formed by all
people of Afghanistan, including women.
- The Beijing Platform for Action by the United Nations emphasizes the human
rights of women. These human rights include women's full and equal enjoyment
of their rights in access to education, health, work and elimination of all
forms of discrimination against women. Therefore, the human rights of women
and girls in Afghanistan must remain a priority for the United Nations, the
United States and the international community. Efforts must be focused on the
rights of women and girls to have full access to health, education and work
and other social and political aspects of their society.
- The United Nations and the United States must end the monopoly of
participation of the armed groups and political groups in the United Nations
peace initiative. The United Nations should diversify contacts within the
Afghan populace, particularly with the Afghan women inside Afghanistan as
well as Afghan women refugees living in Pakistan, Iran, Tajikistan and other
neighboring countries. The United Nations should formally include the Afghan
Civil Society and non-violent political and social centers to become equal
participants with the armed groups in the United Nations peace initiative.
- The Afghan women must be involved in the peace process and must have the
right to be effective participants in the internal and external affairs of
their country and society. Having women at the table must be a condition of
the peace talks. A democratic, representative government should be
established, in which all members of the Afghan society, regardless of
gender, age, ethnicity and religious affiliation can be equally represented.
- The United Nations and the United States should encourage non-governmental
organizations to work in Afghanistan and to address woman's security, access
to health education and other basic needs. The United Nations and the United
States should provide funds for the Afghan NGOs for training of the Afghan
refugee women in the areas such as empowerment, capacity-building, individual
skill building, advocacy and development.
- The United Nations and the United States should negotiate for the local
population to have the right to govern themselves. The United Nations and the
United States should support the idea of self-determination and a democratic
system of governance for the Afghan people. The United Nations and the United
States should negotiate for an agreement from the armed groups for the
redrawing of the administrative unit in the government. Representation of the
administrative unit should enhance the cohesion of the different ethnic
groups of different territories and provinces within Afghanistan.
- The United Nations and the United States should inject moral and human
rights measures to judge the sincerity of the armed groups and political
groups in the United Nations Peace initiative. The United Nations and the
United States should identify and recognize the democratic elements inside
Afghanistan who support human rights in general and woman's rights in
particular. These elements should be supported and encouraged by the United
States and the United Nations and should be included in peace talks.
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