Afghanistan

Getting Afghan women voter cards has proven a challenge for the Independent Election Commission (IEC), which has made female turnout a top priority this election cycle, but southern Helmand province is said to be an especially challenging environment due to strict traditional values and the lack of female registration employees.

Hundreds of Paktia Province women October 23 rallied in Gardez to announce their intentions to actively participate in the upcoming elections next year.

"We will be voting for the candidates who could help us achieve our rights," civil society activist Anar Gula said.

Women's participation in the electoral process has increased in Afghanistan recently.

We invite our users to read the full article published October 24, 2013

One evening, in a conversation with a group of impressive Afghan women activists in Kabul, the first participant started the conversation by making a simple but profound statement. She said, “Stop looking at us as victims, and look at us as the leaders that we are.” She was right. All too often when we look at women struggling for their rights in Afghanistan, we see them solely as victims. To be sure, many have been victimized, but they are also on the front lines of progress, working to create a better future for their country.

Women are increasingly exposed to violence and exclusion from the public sphere as Afghanistan nears the 2014 security transition and conservative forces gain momentum.

In its latest report, Women and Conflict in Afghanistan, the International Crisis Group examines the status of women in present-day Afghanistan.

We invite you to read the full article published October 15, 2013