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Despite tall claims that conditions have improved for women in Afghanistan, they continue to suffer in various ways. Afghan parliamentarian and women's rights activist Malalai Joya returned to Afghanistan in 1998 after having spent most of her life in refugee camps in Iran and Pakistan as an underground volunteer educator of girls. She came to world attention in 2003 when, at a constitutional convention attended by Afghanistan's leaders, she publicly accused many of those present of being war criminals, drug lords and supporters of the Taliban.
While her outspoken views have gained much support both inside Afghanistan and internationally, Joya has also created powerful enemies. She remains suspended from parliament for being openly critical of fellow MPs and has survived several assassination attempts. Speaking to the media at the launch of her book 'Raising My Voice' in Canada, Joya discussed the position of women in her country. Here are excerpts from the interview. How do you see the situation for women today in Afghanistan? Women and children happen to be the first victims who suffered both at the hands of the Taliban regime as well as during the ongoing war on terror in Afghanistan. There is still much violence against them. Whether it is the Northern Alliance fundamentalists or Taliban, when it comes to women they mix Islam with politics to use against the women of Afghanistan. It is true that in some big cities like Kabul, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif, some women have access to jobs and education but in most of the provinces, not only is there no justice at all but also the grave reality haunts that killing of women is like killing a bird in Afghanistan today. You once quoted George W. Bush's 2002 State of the Union address when he said that the mothers and daughters of Afghanistan were captive in their own homes under the Taliban and became free when the Taliban were ousted from power. Do you regard Afghan women and girls as free? The US government wants to convey a message to the world that it brought women's rights to Afghanistan and that the definition of a woman's freedom is to allow her not to wear a burqa. Freedom to me does not end on the debate of wearing a burqa or not. It has more to do with the right and access to education, health and decision-making power at all levels of society. Afghan women do not have an easy access to all these and hence they cannot be termed free and secure in their very own country. There are several examples which can be cited just to give a brief picture of the reality about the freedom of women in Afghanistan. Sitara Achakzai a provincial council member and a woman activist in Kandahar was murdered in April this year and so was Safia Amajan, a teacher and public servant who was murdered at the age of 63; Malalai Kakar a high-ranking policewoman, Nadia Anjaman a poet and social activist killed at 25 years of age or Zakia Zaki who was a young journalist. All these women had a goal to achieve for the freedom of Afghan women and all of them met with the same fate. And this is just s small peep into the dangers and fears which lurk from every nook and corner of the country for our gender for raising their voices against the injustice they have to suffer. Do assassinations of women like Sitara Achakzai indicate that there is a fear in Afghanistan of women who raise their voice? Are the Taliban and others afraid of courageous women? Of course they are afraid. That's why they are against the role of women which comprise half the population of our country. And these are the apparent reasons why women in Afghanistan are deprived of basic rights like the right to have education, freedom of speech and having their say at the parliament bodies. They are kept in darkness as it goes in the interest of our extremely male-dominated society. Every year around the world on March 8, women celebrate International Women's Day with lots of hope and happiness. But in my country, this year three women set themselves on fire on March 8 while hundreds of them commit suicide as an escape from the regular torture and domestic violence. What future do you foresee for the women of Afghanistan? Our government, in spite of its tall claims, has failed miserably in protecting the rights of women in the country. Recently there were mysterious gas attacks in girls' schools in many provinces which brought the process to a halt for some time. Similarly there have been cases of acid throwing on girls and women who try to break the shell and do something in the interest of their society and people. Another setback for Afghani women is the new law in the country which bans the women from leaving the home without permission and permits child marriage. All these things hinder the freedom and mobility of the female gender and make life miserable for them. Although the Afghan constitution gives equal rights to its citizen - both men and women and the Karzai government can boast about the advances in women's rights since 2001, repression of women is still prevalent in rural areas be it marriage, education or health. Some 80 percent of Afghan women are illiterate. One can only see hope if strong long-term initiatives are taken to educate the women of Afghanistan. It can be the only means to solve their problems and uplift their stature.
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