KABUL - More than 500 women and men in Kandahar gathered today to mark International Women’s Day, which included a play by an all-woman cast to show the negative side of underage and forced marriages.

“We want more education and job opportunities and an end to violence against women in Kandahar”, stated women speakers, who highlighted, education the main tool for their progress in the society,” Rukia Asakzai, head of the Department of Women’s Affairs (DoWA), told the audience.

“There has been significant progress in terms of development of women conditions in Kandahar. However, much more is needed to be done to ensure better living conditions for them. DoWA is working on several projects to provide job opportunities and vocational trainings both at the district level and provincial level and established women Shuras in several districts,” she added.

Traditional practices like forced and underage marriages, lack of education and job opportunities, intimidation and family related violence are the main challenges faced by women in the region.

“In Kandahar, we had around 273 cases of violence against women last year (Afghan Year), and this year we have around 367 which show an increase of 94 cases. This remains a cause of worry for us,” said a local representative from the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC).

During his speech, Kandahar Governor Toryali Wesa said that in the history of Afghanistan, women always played a key role in the development and progress of society.

“The Ministry of Women’s Affairs and other ministries should pay more attention to women-related issues in Kandahar because the situation in Kandahar differs from ‘relatively’ calm provinces,” Governor Wesa said.

Some women activists called upon women parliamentarians and other powerful women in Kabul to support them in Kandahar.

As part of the event, a group of women actors performed a theatre show which entertained the audience and relayed a positive message of underage marriages, girl’s education, forced marriages and women’s rights.

The main character is a girl prohibited from going to school by her father and later forcefully married to an elderly man who paid for her. The girl is harshly beaten by her husband and denied access to health. The play ends with the girl divorcing her husband and returning to her father, who regrets and her father regrets for marrying the girl without her consent.

The show received huge applause from the audience.

“We are happy to see things in practical. Theatre is the best way to raise awareness amongst people. It is fun and it contains an important message,” said Sima, one of the women participants.

By UNAMA Kandahar