Afghanistan

The UN deputy chief issued an impassioned plea on Sunday for Afghans to reconcile with the past and put “women at the centre” of all efforts to forge a durable peace, and a truly inclusive political process where women’s voices are truly heard.

HERAT, Afghanistan (AP) — For four hours, Khadeja begged her in-laws to take her to the hospital. The skin on her face and neck was peeling. The pain was excruciating. Her husband had thrown a pot of scalding water on her face and upper body.

Her head was bowed and sobs convulsed her body as she remembered the moment. “The pain . . . I can’t say how much I hurt.”

Afghan men strongly oppose giving women more freedom — two in three think they have too much already — and young men are even more reluctant than their elders, according to a new survey released this week.

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KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan has appointed its first woman to a senior post at the Interior Ministry, naming Hosna Jalil as deputy for policy and strategic affairs.

Following her appointment ceremony on Wednesday, Jalil said she relished the challenges of the job.

Afghan women have forged ahead since the 2001 collapse of the Taliban regime, which denied girls the right to go to school and women the right to work.

Justice Anisa Rasooli was recently appointed as the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court of Afghanistan. She has been a powerful advocate for bringing more women into judicial positions, including as a leader of the Afghan Women Judges Association, an organization supported by UN Women. Serving for 23 years in the judicial system, Justice Rasooli can remember when stigma against going to a judicial institution was so great that most women would not do so, even to register a marriage.

Halima Askari became the first woman head of the Provincial Council in Afghanistan’s conservative Wardak province in 2017. She is part of a new generation of women leaders who, little by little, are pushing for the transformation of governance. She ran for national Parliament this year and is awaiting the results. Regardless of the election results, Askari is determined to continue serving her community and advocating for girls’ and women’s education.