KABUL - A public event to raise awareness about elimination of violence against women was organized quite differently in southeastern Paktya Province last week, with needy women receiving assistance from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to cope with the looming difficult winter.

Visit the UNAMA flickr site to view some photos of the event

At the programme organized on 29 November by the Provincial Department of Women’s Affairs, the UNHCR donated winterization assistance to 50 most vulnerable women.

The distribution ceremony took place in the EVAW commemoration event, organized by Paktya Department of Women’s Affairs, almost attended by 100 women including provincial officials, representatives of Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), women councils, religious scholars, UNAMA, UNHCR and media correspondents.

Main aim of the ceremony – attended by officials, members of the women’s councils, religious scholars – was to convey the message that selling of woman and girls, force marriages, underage marriage were crimes and the perpetrators would be punished.

“I fully assure (you) that the Islam gives respect to woman. Prophet Mohammad instructed his followers to not insult and rebuke their wives, and give your women right to marry on consent,” said Maulavi Khwaja Din Mangal, a religious scholar.

The participants agreed that many incidents of violence against women were caused by un-Islamic traditional practices including revenge marriages, force marriages and underage marriages.

After receiving UNHCR winterization assistance, Gul Makai from Rabat village who recently returned from Pakistan said although the assistance wasn’t enough for her 10-member family it would ease their situation.

UNHCR regional representative Eng Mahmood Khoram said the assistance was distributed to 50 vulnerable participants of the event. He added that more assistance would be distributed to vulnerable families in Paktya and Khost provinces.

By UNAMA Gardez