Tuesday March 9, 2010

One Day Seminar, entitled “Women Need Peace and Security”

  

To mark this women’s day, a one day seminar was held at the Table Talk Coffee Shop and Restaurant, located on 3rd Street, Qalae Fatullah, Kabul, Afghanistan.100 people gathered, mostly women from Parliament, Kabul University, political parties, women’s NGOs, embassies, as well as donors, journalists and people from various walks of life. Women from AWC’s programs in Kabul also participated. AWC is always striving to serve the welfare of the most vulnerable women in the country and this program was held to give due honor and respect to them.

The program started with the recitation of a few verses of holy Quran by Ms. Feroza Amarkhail, an AWC staff member. Ms. Fatana Ishaq Gailani then congratulated the women of Afghanistan and women

around the world for this special day and requested for them to achieve solidarity and Unity. She then talked about the issues that women around the world, especially Afghan women, are confronted with everyday. She added that the international community and the Afghan Government must take proper action for comprehensive peace proposals via a peace committee that would be able to travel around to promote peace. They must be accepted by all parties (elders, tribal leaders, religious leaders), not the government. She said Afghans are tired of the political games taking place by the International community in Afghanistan, on one side saying that they want peace and from another side they start military operations. She added that corruption, injustice and anarchy in the country continue and that this is not tolerable to the Afghan mothers who continue to grieve for their loved ones in the presence of hundreds of thousands of International troops in Afghanistan. She expressed her concern for the worsening situation for women and said that today Afghan women are faced with various kinds of tragedies including rape, harassment and physical torture.

She continued, “I will let you know about the story of a woman who is present at this gathering. Her husband was taken by the American forces from his home in one of the faraway villages in the country. She came to Kabul with her 3 young children to find her husband. She came to my office to ask for my help. She is in our micro-finance program now but let’s think of how many women are waiting in their villages for their loved ones to come home and can’t ask anyone for help“.

At the end of her speech she requested that Afghans pursue negotiations for peace and for the international community to support the peace process.

Mr. Esmat Elahe, Professor of Kabul University, Mr. Abdul Kabeer Ranjbar, Mr. Mr. Habibullah Rafi an Afghan scholar, Mr. Zia Rafaat, Mr. Waheed Gharwal, and Shukria Zamani gave their speeches on the critical economic and security situation and increasing conflict around the country. They also highlighted all of the problems women suffer from and face at an increasing rate in their daily lives. All of the participating speakers identified the root cause of these problems as the International community’s ignorance and inefficiency and of Mr. Karzai’s poor administration. The seminar ended with the recitation of few verses of Holy Quran and high tea for the participants.

In Solidarity,

Fatana Ishaq Gailani, Founder and Chairwomen AWC