by Farid Behbud
KABUL, March 8 (Xinhua) -- "The Afghans could absolutely overcome the current challenges if they take further measures for women's empowerment and help strengthen the role of women in society," said an Afghan working lady, as the country marks International Women's Day.
"Women can play a key role in affording the living costs of a family. In some instances, they can provide a boost to men to ensure food security of the family and to guarantee a bright future for the next generations," Zahra Narin, who runs a traditional clothes and handicrafts workshop, told Xinhua on Tuesday.
International Women's Day, which falls on March 8, was marked by a series of meetings, conferences, and seminars in the capital city and in the provinces, to highlight women's rights and their role in developing society.
To boost awareness of women's rights and their role in developing the country, the private media outlets and state-owned media including national radio and television aired special programs related to the topic.
"The situation surrounding females is getting better compared with past decades but various challenges still remain ahead. And it has been a long road for Afghan women to travel to finally meet their rights which have been envisaged in
the country's laws," Narin, also a women's right activist, noted.
Defying the tribal tradition and restrictions imposed by the Taliban regime during its six-year reign, Afghan women, presently, are serving as cabinet members, legislators, business people, artists and singers, a cultural advancement once unthinkable during the Taliban rule, which collapsed in late 2001.
Currently, four female ministers and eight female deputy ministers are serving in the Afghan government. While 69 of the 249 seats in Afghanistan's Lower House of parliament are held by women.
However, women and girls in the countryside and rural areas are unaware of their rights and are mostly confined to their homes where they suffer from poverty and have little access to schools and clinics.
"It has been proven that women have a significant role in the flourishing economy, particularly in a war-torn country.
We call on the government to take more actions by providing job opportunities, and helping women to be involved in more economic activities and local businesses, so they can improve the living conditions and help build a better future for their family members," she noted.
"Afghan women are talented and they have the ability to work outside and also inside their homes but they need financial support, they need marketing skills for their products," she explained.
In the conservative country, some 22 percent of civil servants are women and the government has pledged to increase the number to 30 percent in the coming years, according to information provided by the Afghan Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission.
Meanwhile, the statistics also show that some 38 percent of women in Afghanistan are economically active.
"The female economic empowerment movement is essential for building a sustainable society. I heard this year's International Women's Day also focuses on women and their role in both the economy and broader society," she said.
"According to the Afghan constitution, all kinds of discrimination and distinction between citizens are forbidden. The citizens of Afghanistan, male and female, have equal rights and duties under the law, so we urge the government to take further action to improve the conditions of women and ensure they are not victims of domestic violence and harassment," Hanifa Akbari, an Afghan lady, told Xinhua.
"To be honest, just a few people's lives have changed over the past decade and a half, after the Taliban's fall, but the majority of Afghans are still living in poverty. And Afghan women still need support," she remonstrated.
In spite of some socio-economic progress being made over the past 15 years, the war-torn country is still dependent on foreign aid and the Taliban and associated groups have been directing their attacks on the cities to terrorize the local people.
About 36 percent of Afghanistan's some 30 million population are currently living below the poverty line, according to official statistics.
Without revealing her specific ordeal, Akbari, clearly distraught, added that thousands of women, including widows, have also been living in misery elsewhere in the war-hit nation.
On the eve of Women's Day, Afghanistan's First Lady, Rula Ghani, on Tuesday congratulated the country's women and urged all Afghans to join hands for bringing about peace and stability in the embattled country.
"The Afghan women have the right to live in peace and to send their children to school in a peaceful environment," she said in a statement.
The Afghan first lady in her congratulatory message said that it was a national and moral responsibility of all Afghans, including women and men, to do their best to end the current crisis.
And she also urged the Taliban militants and other armed groups to renounce violence and join the peace and reconciliation process.
The inclusion of women in Afghanistan's security forces was also a great achievement. In early 2002, the presence of women in the security sector was two percent but it had increased to five percent last year, while the government is trying to recruit more women into its security sector.
Currently, more than 3,000 women have been serving as police officers and employees of the Afghan Interior Ministry, while more than 1,400 women work as army officers in the country's Defense Ministry and within the ranks of the Afghan army.
