Author: Sayed Hussain Hussainy

Some civil society activists in Helmand province say that the first and the most important issue that the negotiating parties in the peace talks must agree on is the establishment of a ceasefire. Only after a ceasefire  they can discuss other issues.In an interview with the CSHRN, Mr. Hamidi said that ceasefire is a priority and the international community must put pressure on the Taliban to achieve it.CSHRN: What is your assessment of what has happened so far in the peace talks? Can we hope for positive outcome?Hamidi: In the beginning of the negotiations, there were high expectations; but increased violence diminishes hopes for positive outcome. In my opinion, the parties involved in the peace talks do not have the capacity to reach a political agreement and the disagreement may continue for some time. Overall, the negotiating teams’ inflexibility, unrealistic approaches, and the escalation of violence have reduced hopes for achieving peace.CSHRN: In your opinion, given the history of the Taliban, what will be the consequence of negotiation with them?Hamidi: The Taliban’s strategy is based on violence. Without a peace agreement, they will continue to fight, as they have for twenty years.  The government of Afghanistan is unable to continue the war and the international community has no obligation to eliminate the Taliban. Regarding  women, it should be said that this group does not accept women's rights and opposes their rights through its interpretation of religion, which  women will not accept this. Even some women in Taliban-dominated areas are concerned about  their rights. In cities, women can advocate for their rights, and it  is not possible for women in the rural areas. If all Afghan women could not advocate for equal rights, they would want peace, freedom of expression, and the right to work.CSHRN: Can the presence of…

One of the issues that civil society and women's rights activists have always emphasized as important and fundamental issues to be discussed in peace talks is the protection of the fundamental rights of citizens. According to these activists, peace talks should be based on respect for human rights.In an interview with the CSHRN, Mr. Parwani said that the protection of the fundamental rights of the people must be the red line of the government, and the dialogue must be based on the acceptance of the undeniable rights of the citizens. "The protection of the fundamental rights of citizens is enshrined in the constitution for freedom of expression and thought, the right to education and employment; and there is no more complete document to respect human rights.” Said Mr Parwani.CSHRN: What is your assessment of the peace talks?Parwani: negotiations should replace guns and bloodshed. Also, the Taliban should be given the opportunity to express their demands. Even if the peace talks fail, it can still change the behaviour and beliefs of both parties.CSHRN: How can the presence of women affect the peace talks?Parwani: The presence of women in the composition of the team, especially knowledgeable and experienced women, can have two messages. First, women, as half the population of the country, should be present at such an important event. Second, the absence of female representatives in the Taliban’s team shows how they eliminate the presence of women in an important event. Moreover, female representatives can discuss and defend their demands, achievements, and changes in their rights and freedoms and to make them understand that today women in Afghanistan are capable of raising their voice to protect their rights in peace talks with men.CSHRN: Do you think the negotiating team has the capacity to defend women's rights?Parwani: It will be…

One of the most important requests from the media and journalists to the government regarding the peace talks was the presence of one of their representatives in the talks as an observer. According to some media officials, their main challenge is that their representative is not present as an observer in Doha, and the talks are being held behind closed doors.In an interview with the CSHRN, Mr. Mujib Khalwatgar said that although the government had promised to make the details of the negotiations available to the public through the media, it has not happened. “On the day of the Consultative Jirga, the president promised to share peace negotiation’s detail with people through media. Unfortunately, the Afghan government ignored the demand of the media.” Said Mr. Khalwatgar. He added that the government’s approach to defending its position has been weak and has failed to defend values such as freedom of expression.CSHRN: What has been your assessment of the negotiations so far?Khalwatgar: One of the issues that became clear at the opening of the talks was that the position of the Taliban has not changed and they still emphasize on the Islamic government. Another issue of concern is that the Taliban still call the Afghan government illegitimate and do not recognize it. These cases show that if the negotiations do not fail, their success will be very time consuming, an almost impossible to undertake?. Also, the government team negotiate from a weak position with the Taliban.CSHRN: What exactly do you mean by weak position?Khalwatgar: the government team is implicitly pleading to the Taliban as if they need them to achieve peace. This complicates the situation.CSHRN: What effect will the low presence of women on the negotiating team have on women's rights issues?Khalwatgar: In peace talks, I think the number of…

A number of officials from women's organizations say that the government must stand up for women's rights in peace talks; because peace in which women's rights are ignored is not acceptable.In an interview with the CSHRN, Ms. Rahimi said that the government’s position should be based on defending women’s rights. She added that achieving peace should not be at the expense of neglecting women’s rights and gains. They do not want to be confined to their houses, like twenty years ago.CSHRN: What is your assessment of the negotiations so far?Rahimi: In my opinion, the negotiation is not acceptable to women because women are concerned about their rights and their achievements. They are concerned that women might be deprived of their rights and relapse to the past. Although we are not satisfied with the negotiation’s slow progress, in a conversation we had with one of the female members of the negotiating team, she assured us of progress and commitment to defending women’s rights.CSHRN: Given the Taliban’s background, especially with regards to women, do you think that the negotiations will entail a positive outcome?Rahimi: In my opinion, the government's peace agreement with the Taliban may be a covert deal between the Taliban and the United States in which women's rights may be ignored. On the other hand, the Taliban's view of women has not changed and there is no hope of changing it.CSHRN: In your opinion, given the Taliban's view of women, what will be the situation of women after the agreement if the negotiations lead to an agreement?Rahimi: If the Taliban assure commitment to women's rights and the international community guarantees it, perhaps the situation will be such that women's rights and achievements will be preserved and women will be able to work in different sectors as they do…

The women’s narrative campaign aims at gathering and sharing stories of women from all over the country to find their common pains. The idea sparked based on the claims that there is a difference of view between urban and rural women with regards to their demands and their definition of constitutional rights. In an interview with CSHRN, Atiyah Mehraban said that the Taliban and even some foreign countries claim that only urban women are concerned about violation of women’s rights and their meaningful representation in the peace talks. Therefore, they initiated the campaign to find out the validity of such claim. CSHRN: What is the ultimate result of the campaign? Mehraban: We have worked on the fundamental rights of women, the first of which was the right to education of women and was highly appreciated. We also worked on the right to work, civic activity and political participation. Currently we are working on the rights of war victims. We found that most women are aware of their right to education. However, since issues such as political participation and civic activism have not been discussed in many areas, they are less known to women. In general, according to our findings, no woman in any province has expressed disregard for the right to political participation and the right to education. CSHRN: How can your campaign act as an effective movement for achieving their rights? Mehraban: Unfortunately, in the last two decades, efforts to protecting women’s rights have been mostly treated as projects. Although some significant progress is achieved, sincere efforts have not been made to ensure preserving women’s rights. For instance, the fact that a woman in the capital of a province is not aware of her fundamental rights indicates that efforts to protect women’s rights have been superficial. Though…

Most CSOs activists argue that maintaining the republic system must be preserved as it can best guarantee human rights, especially those of women. Talking to CSHRN, Rahmatullah Shariati, a civil society activist, and University Lecturer said that the republic system, as a safe platform, can ensure women’s constitutional rights. CSHRN: What is your assessment of the peace talks so far? Shariati: Lack of agreement on a joint agenda for peace negotiation is a serious concern. Despite the goodwill of the Afghan negotiating team, the Taliban are not acting in good faith that undermines the process. CSHRN: What will be the possible results of the talks, given the Taliban’s history and views of women? Shariati: Despite the prevalence of democracy in the last two decades, the Taliban still pose serious threats to women’s rights. In the case of a power-sharing agreement, women’s rights and their political participation will be challenged by the Taliban as the group is opposed to the democratic environment. CSHRN: How will women’s presence affect the Taliban’s views? Shariati: Their presence is effective, but their participation in a quota system is very low. Although the male participants in the team also support women’s rights; however, it is important for women to represent themselves. The Taliban men, who are present on the battleground are more dangerous to women than their negotiators. Women’s active and broad engagement in the peace talks will also draw international attention to Afghan women. CSHRN: Would it be acceptable if more restrictions are imposed as the result of the peace talks? Shariati: If both parties are equally determined in establishing a ceasefire and restoring peace, they should retreat from their maximalist positions. For example, restricting women’s education is never acceptable; however, separate education would be an alternative, provided that peace is restored. Otherwise,…

Many women activists believe that women’s rights achieved with great difficulty should not be restricted if the Taliban share power with the government after a peace agreement.In an interview with the CSHRN, Ms. Fariha Nasiri (pseudonym) said that women have gained their rights through many sacrifices and these rights should not be ignored.CSHRN: What is your assessment of what has happened so far in the peace talks? How much can we hope for a positive result?Naseri: It has been almost two months since the beginning of the peace talks, but according to the media, the negotiating teams have not yet finalized the agenda. Therefore, it is too early to talk about the outcome.CSHRN: Given the Taliban’s background, especially with regards to women, what will be the social and political presence of women after the peace talks?Naseri: Since the formation of the Taliban group, the members of this group have never believed in or respected the rights women. The fact that no woman is included in their group shows that they do not care about women’s rights. With their participation in the government, women will be deprived of their rights. Women will not be able to continue their activities freely. The first impact of these restrictions will be to make women depended on men, they will impose this by creating rules to not let any women travel without men. But, since women in the years following the fall of the Taliban have achieved great success, I hope they do not remain silent in the face of the restrictions imposed by the Taliban and fight this situation by creating effective movements.CSHRN: Can the presence of women in peace talks affect the Taliban's anti-women approach? Do you think the Taliban will change their position for any reason?Naseri: The presence of women…

The structure of traditional societies, especially extremism, has been cited as one of the main obstacles to women’s activities. Radical extreme views have led to educational problems for women. In an interview with the CSHRN, Ms. Karimi said that women activists face various obstacles.CSHRN: Please explain these problems in more detail?Karimi: The situation is difficult for employed women. For instance, if a woman posts her photo on social media, she will be perceived as bad by the people of the society. Recently, we had an awareness program in one of the districts. After the program, my photos were posted on social media and a number of people insulted me in the comment section. This is problematic to women’s activities, because most families do not allow their family members to share their photos and activities on social media. This may not seem as a major challenge, however, many female civil society activists, and those engaging in legal activities, have quit their jobs because their photos or contact numbers were shared on social media. What is more concerning is that lately, a group called ‘Hizb ut-Tahrir’ who have extreme mindsets have started their activities in the province. Another case that has happened recently is that employed women are threatened by men with their faces covered. Barriers to women’s activities in Badakhshan have increased and prevented a large number of women from working.CSHRN: What is the legal status of women in Badakhshan?Karimi: Badakhshan is one of the most remote provinces. The situation is normal in the center of Faizabad and women with their low literacy are somewhat aware of legal issues, but the situation in districts is worrying. In some districts, although there is school, young girls are prevented from going to school due to the security issues. Women in these districts…

Maryam Moradi is studying law and judiciary. She said she chose this field not only out of interest, but also because as a woman, she wanted to gain a better understanding of values and social rights.Despite being aware of the existing problems in the patriarchal atmosphere of the country both in  social and governmental levels, she decided to study law and judiciary since she experienced t devaluing ignoring women’s  problems such as harassment,. “Women will grow more in a society where there are more threats against them. The greater the pressure on humans, the more successful they will be.” She believes.Ms. Moradi adds that by studying in this field, she wants to increase the level of women's participation in the judiciary and law. According to her, one of the reasons for the low level of women's participation in political and social affairs is that this group does not achieve high levels of education.Although she has high aspirations s for her field of study and her career plans, she has not been able to decide about her plans after graduation because of the fear of the Taliban’s presence in the government. “The presence of the Taliban in government will affect the fate of women. Perhaps, they will completely exclude women from politics and society.” Said Ms. Moradi.  She hoped that the peace negotiating team would not ignore the rights and values of citizens, especially women, as well as their achievements in recent years.  She added that women should also advocate for their rights.Ms. Moradi said that in the Taliban’s view, when a woman becomes powerful, she becomes aware of her rights and, as a result, gains the power to advocate for her rights and does not accept injustice. Therefore, they always try to exclude women from society. She added…

Following the start of the peace talks and the rise of concerns about the disregard for women's rights during the negotiations by a number of women's rights activists, some have argued that no group should determine women's rights. Women should define their demands and freedoms themselves.In an interview with the CSHRN, Mr. Kavah said that any discussion with regards to women might cause restrictions to their freedom. Therefore, women themselves should define their freedom. “Women should be recognized as part of the society and have access to their rights. The ultimate result of negotiation should not deprive women of their liberty.” Said Mr. Kavah. CSHRN: Given the current status of the peace negotiations, what can we expect?Kavah: Since peace negotiation is at its preliminary stage, drawing any conclusion is early. However, there still remains concerns with regards to citizen’s freedom, especially women. I think that these concerns should be addressed in the peace talks.CSHRN: Given the capacity of the negotiating team members, can these concerns be addressed?Kavah: I think the negotiating team is very diverse in terms of ethnicity, gender, level of knowledge and awareness, and the level of their relationship with the community which is promising. On the other hand, very active and prominent Afghan women are involved in these dialogues who can boldly reflect the various concerns of the citizens. In general, I believe that this team, given its diversity, comes from a society experiencing two decades of freedom, and its members will defend these freedoms.CSHRN: One of the concerns that women's rights activists have mentioned many times is that the women in the negotiating team are mostly members of political parties and may only speak for the interests of these parties. What is your opinion?Kavah: I think these concerns will exist until the end of the…