Author: Sayed Hussain Hussainy

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…

Since the selection of members of the peace negotiation in Doha, not only the disproportion between male and female members of the peace delegation is under question, the absence of civil society representatives from the peace talks is also highly worrying.In an interview with the CSHRN, Ms. Saqib added that despite the efforts to integrate women into the composition of the peace delegation, the absence of civil society representatives, journalists, and other women's groups is alarming. "Although the female members of the negotiation team are committed to women's rights, they primarily represent various political parties, and priority for them would be their political interests" So if the composition is not revised, the rights of women will remain at stake. " The imbalance in the number of male and female representatives in the composition of the negotiating team is also one of the issues that have been criticized by some experts, said Ms. Saqib. War and peace are usually masculine. Despite the fact that women are heavily impacted by war, they are usually marginalized in peace discussions. "Women can play an important role in peace negotiation as they constitute more than half of the population and they are the main victims of war. If women's role is ignored, the peace settlement will not be sustainable. "CSHRN: What are women’s expectations from peace negotiations?Saqib: First and foremost, women expect that a ceasefire is agreed upon. And, the right to participate in social, political, economic, and educational activities are among women’s other demands. Finally, they expect that a mechanism is in place which protects the human rights of women.Ms. Saqib argues that corruption and unsafe working environment are among other challenges that women expect to get rid of in the post-peace political system. "Corruption and unsafe working environment sometimes force women…

As a teenager with a tremendous desire to work, Wahida found herself living in a remote village dominated by the government’s armed opposition. Her neighbors not only discouraged girls who worked but also threatened them. She said that those challenges not only discouraged her to work but rather made her more determined. Belonging to a family with a political and military background, Wahida constantly faced objections for disgracing the reputation of the family by working out of the home. Following Wahida’s persistence to work out of home, her family decides to leave their ancestor’s land and move to Kabul where she could achieve her goals. While in Kabul she still feared her kin’s vengeance. Despite her young age and her relative’s disbelief in her, she moved forward with determination starting with participating in a short-term training course to work in media. She was so young that the person in charge of the training center jokingly said that you want to be trained for children's programs? In her first experience on a live radio program, she avoided using her real name to the audience and used “Hila” as her pseudonym. Wahida now called “Hila” worked as a radio presenter for several years. In order to avoid financial dependency, she walked the distance between her school and the radio office. Upon her graduation from school, she decided to become a reporter. A media office in Kabul was running a training program for journalists those days. Wahida joined the program. After three months of training and mentorship, she became a journalist. She joined a media outlet and worked for four years now using her real name. While she was preparing reports on corruption and war the victims, she received death threats. Nonetheless, Wahida continued her work and received a medal from…

Although Bamyan has always been mentioned as one of the safest provinces in the country, especially for women, it seems that in some parts of the province, insecurity and extreme ideology have become a serious problem for women and girls in this province. Zakia Rezaie, Bamyan's Director of Women's Affairs said that in some districts of the province, girls are not allowed to study above the primary school level. She added that about forty-seven percent of girls in Bamyan now attend school, but the number of dropouts of female students in high school level in some districts increases each year.In an interview with the CSHRN, the Director of Women's affairs in Bamyan said that they have special programs of increasing girls’ participation in the education sector. But their programs are hampered by insecurity in some districts sometimes. "The Bamyan Department of Women's Affairs, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, is holding an annual campaign to increase the enrollment of girls in schools. We are making the necessary arrangements with security officials before the program is implemented, and if it is impossible to eliminate the risk, we do not often visit some of those insecure areas."The feeling of not being safe not only bothers women in insecure districts and villages of Bamyan, but it also troubles working women in unsafe working environments.CSHRN: What problems do Bamyan women have at work?Rezaie: Some women complain about physical and psychological harassment. Also, due to the traditional structure of society, some offices are male-oriented making the working environment difficult for women. Moreover, women suffer from a lack of facilities which are recognized as their rights in the law. For instance, there is no kindergarten in some offices for their children. Despite these challenges, women in Bamyan have achieved significant milestones in the…

The young generation of Afghanistan, as a large part of the country’s population, are concerned about the outcome of the peace talks. Some young activists believe that nothing should hinder their growth and progress.In an interview with the CSHRN, Mr. Tajdar said that Afghanistan’s young generation has had significant achievements in recent years and they should be preserved after the peace talks.CSHRN: What will be the outcomes of the Taliban's participation in power on the activities of youth, especially young girls?Tajdar: Obviously, the traditional view of the Taliban will create challenges for young people, especially young girls. But I think, as a large part of the country’s population, young women can defend their rights and play an active role in political, social and cultural spheres.CSHRN: What issues should be discussed in the peace negotiations with regards to the young generation?Tajdar: First of all, employment opportunities should be facilitated for them. Additionally, the rights that have been given to them in recent years should be preserved. The presence of young representatives in peace talks is a good opportunity for them to defend their rights.Mr Tajdar adds that young people can support peace efforts by changing the view of people with radical extreme ideas through healthy conversations.CSHRN: do you think negotiations with the Taliban as a group with not good records in history, especially the suffering they inflicted upon women, will have good results? how will a peace agreement affect women?Tajdar: If the Taliban agree to live in coexistence with other people, the prospect for peaceful Afghanistan will be promising but with their old beliefs and strategy, citizens will not witness a better future, especially women.CSHRN: Do you think the Taliban's view of women has changed?Tajdar: I think their view may have changed compared to the past. Now, they realize…

One of the major concerns about the outcome of the peace talks is imposing restrictions on women's rights. Some believe that it would be wrong for the Taliban to link between the ban of women’s presence in society with their interpretations of religious teachings. Women’s basic rights and fundamental freedoms such as right to work and right to education rights are preserved in religion and any restrictions on these rights are not acceptable.In an interview with the CSHRN, Mr. Faizi said that they advocate for women’s freedom based on law, and the rights that Islam provides for women are undeniable. As we know, education in Islam is presumed for both men and women and, therefore, it is unacceptable for the Taliban to say that women do not have the right to education. Additionally, according to Afghanistan’s law, men and women have equal rights and are equal.CSHRN: Can women's rights activists operate freely in the possible post peace agreement wherein Taliban will take over and share parts of the power in the agreed-upon government?Faizi: It will be clarified over time. However, we hope that the Taliban will not have a problem with women's activities.CSHRN: How satisfactory do you think the role of women in peace talks is?Faizi: Women have a high status in our culture, in some parts of the country, women act as mediators to solve problems that rises among the people. The role of women in peace negotiation is equally undeniable. We support the women of the negotiating team and we know that they can defend their rights.CSHRN: How prepared is the Afghan negotiating team?Faizi: Unfortunately, a number of members of the government's negotiating team at the opening meeting did not show sufficient ability to clarify issues under discussion but some of them have the ability to…

Afghan women have taken great strides despite many challenges since the fall of the Taliban regime, women’s rights activists believe. And now, they look for their meaningful presence in the peace talks with the Taliban. Talking to CSHRN, Nafisah Danesh stressed on women’s achievements to be further strengthened with a conducive environment for more women’s rights and freedoms after the peace talks. CSHRN: Along with the women’s core achievements, what would be other important points to be brought in during the negotiations? Nafisah: As the main victims of armed conflict, violence must immediately end for women. In addition, their rights to education under a peaceful environment must be protected. CSHRN: Are women, living at the provinces, well-informed of their basic rights? Nafisah: There is a misunderstanding about women’s rights in rural areas. When one talks of basic rights, many rural women become defensive and they threaten us, simply because they are not well-informed of their basic rights. Some women have fallen victims of old-fashioned customs such as forced marriage, especially in Nangarhar, Paktia and Kunar provinces. According to Nafisah, life in urban areas is much comfortable than the rural areas and villages. Therefore, to solve this gap, the government must provide equal opportunities to people living in urban and rural areas. CSHRN: What are your major concerns about the peace agreements? Nafisah: I wish lasting peace. However, most of the talks take place behind closed doors, countries in the region are involved, the peace agreement would be symbolic which will not end violence. In addition, the Taliban’s uncompromising nature will restrict women’s active participation in public life. CSHRN: What should be the government’s red lines in the talks with the Taliban? Nafisah: Women’s access to education and public affairs must be one of the redlines as educated women…

Women’s rights activists are concerned about imposing restrictions on women by Taliban that might be supported by the government. They say that restrictions are not acceptable for them.In an interview by CSHRN, Barakzai said that if the fundamental rights of the people are respected and men and women are treated equally before the law, the Taliban’s presence in the next government would not be so concerning. However, the absence of a guarantee for lasting peace is definitely concerning, and peace at every cost would not be acceptable.CSHRN: Do women in the negotiating team have the capacity and ability to defend Afghan women citizen’s rights?Barakzai: The peace talks are happening behind closed doors and the details are not shared with people. Therefore, we must wait until the outcome of the talks is announced to see that to what extent the government’s negotiating team has been able to defend the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens.She said that the people of Afghanistan, especially women, must be reassured that their fundamental rights are not being ignored and that women’s rights are the red line.CSHRN: Network: What other issues should be the government's red line?Barakzai: All basic rights of citizens, including the right to education, the right to work, civil liberties, and the right to participate in associations, must be the red line of the government's negotiating team. Afghan women are aware of their rights. They want to have the right to work after the peace agreement.CSHRN: Given the Taliban’s view of women, do you think that they will respect women’s rights?Barakzai: Unofficial reports indicate that Taliban are emphasizing gender segregation in schools, universities, and workplaces that are not possible by the current situation. Taliban's non-abiding by their commitments on several occasions reveals the fact of their unchangeable view which is definitely…