8 March 2010 - On International Women’s Day in Bamyan, women and men gathered to pray for peace in Afghanistan and to discuss the role of women and their place in the country during the ongoing peace and reconciliation efforts.

A group of women’s rights activists in Bamyan said they feared Afghanistan’s ongoing reconciliation process, as it may undermine their rights and the progress made in the last few years.

As a part of this event, school and university students took part in a poetry and debates competition to highlight women’s rights and their role in Afghan society.

The competition was followed by discussions on issues affecting women in Afghanistan today.

“We have gathered to mark International Women’s Day and pray for peace in our country. We use this opportunity we ask the Government of Afghanistan and the international community to include us in the agenda during negotiations for peace,” said Fatima Kazimi, head of Bamyan Women’s Business Association.

The Government of Afghanistan, with support from its international partners, has increased efforts to bring the Taliban and other anti-Government elements to the table for talks to end the country’s eight year old conflict.

“Our rights and freedom must not be the victim of the settlement for peace, and women should have equal participation in these negotiations,” said Ms Kazimi.

Participants also spoke about the vulnerability of women in Afghan society and how men can help empower women.

“If we want our country to progress, men should give women equal rights and involve them in all affairs of daily life,” said Naseem Gul, a student of the Shirin Hazara Girls’ High School.

Participants also got an opportunity to watch a short documentary film, produced by Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA), which underscored the hardships faced by Afghan women every day.

The movie was filmed on the daily life of a woman, who works in a government department and also does household chores.

“We can see in this film and in our surroundings how women are treated. They are isolated from the family from the day they are born,” Juma Mahdawi, head of RTA Bamyan later told the audience.

Mr Mahdawi said that women are treated as outsiders in an Afghan family. First, when she is a child her family thinks that she is the property of the man she will marry, and then her husband’s family treats her like a stranger.

“Even giving birth to a girl is a fault in our society,” Mr Mahdawi added.

International Women’s Day is observed every year on 8 March. The day gives an opportunity to the women of the world, especially the women of Afghanistan, to gather and discuss their problems.

By Jaffar Rahim, UNAMA