Afghan women have made advances in education, business and politics since Taliban rule ended but still face threats of violence, especially in the home, the women's affairs minister says
JAKARTA (TrustLaw) - Women enjoy greater access to jobs, education and politics in Afghanistan 11 years after the ousting of the Taliban government, but they still face threats of violence, especially at home, the country's women’s affairs minister said on Wednesday.
"Women have made great progress in the past 10 years in areas such as education, economy, health, security and entrepreneurship," Husn Banu Ghazanfar told TrustLaw in an interview on the sidelines of a conference on the role of women in development in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries.
Girls make up 40 percent of nine million Afghan children who go to school, compared with zero during the Taliban’s rule, and 21 percent of university graduates are women, Ghazanfar said.
Women make up 25 percent of government employees, nine percent of whom hold decision-making positions, and there are now more than 750 female entrepreneurs in the country, she said. About one third of the members of parliament and three cabinet ministers are women.
"There are deputy ministers, mayors and others holding lower offices. Everywhere, Afghan women are working," she said.
On the other hand, Afghan women still face threats of violence, 80 percent of which occurs at home, she said. "There's a low level of awareness among women of their rights and a high level of illiteracy," Ghazanfar said. "We also have challenges such as lack of security, poverty and unacceptable traditions that prevent women from growing and achieving more," she said.
The Taliban, whose rule ended in 2001 after the United States led an invasion of Afghanistan in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, banned girls from attending school and women from holding jobs and voting.
Ghazanfar said extremists continued to threaten girls who went to school, but this had not deterred girls from seeking education. "A lot of girls have been teased and attacked for going to school. There was a girl who was badly tortured for attending school, but after she recovered she returned to school," she said
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
