Women issues not forgotten in Herat

HERAT, AFGHANISTAN

10.04.2007

Courtesy Story

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

By Marine Staff Sgt. Luis P. Valdespino Jr.
Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan Public Affairs

HERAT, Afghanistan – As coalition forces assist in building a secure nation with the Afghan national security forces (ANSF), the unique issues Afghan women face in this country are being addressed as well.

Ten U.S. military women recently met with Afghan women at an elementary school and the women training center in Herat to find out what issues they are facing, and how the ANSF can assist them in their concerns.

When the Taliban led the Afghan government, women were not allowed to pursue education or work outside the home. Now women and girls are attending schools throughout the country. Unfortunately, sometimes the newfound freedom comes with fear and complications.

During the visit to the elementary school, teachers asked for coalition forces to help teach Afghan men the country benefits when women work outside the home and earn an education.

Teachers also asked for more school supplies. Because of inadequate supplies, some women write in pencil so they can erase their work and re-use the paper, one teacher said.

The ladies at the Herat Women Training Center shared many similar concerns, and then some.

When Senior Chief Petty Officer Darlene M. Gonzales, contracting team leader for the Afghan Regional Security Integration Command-West at Camp Stone in Herat, asked how the ANSF could help in their concerns, the answer was clear, but not necessarily simple.

"Bring security for girls who are going out of the home," said Sima Shir Mohammadi, head of the Department of Women Affairs in Herat. She said many Afghans have fears, but women are a little more scared. It doesn't help, she said, that the Taliban, who are more prevalent in some villages, are completely against women earning an education.

After years of being suppressed by the Taliban, women do have more rights now and several are working in various jobs. What many men consider "acceptable" work for women, however, is limited to teaching, tailoring, and jobs that are done in a half-day schedule or inside the home, Shir Mohammadi said. Many men here still look at the women and girls as objects – meaning they belong to the men.

Many men believe when women spend time being educated, they are not serving the men, which is expected of them, Shir Mohammadi said. This causes problems in Afghan households, which often leads to domestic violence against women.

Another issue Shir Mohammadi hopes to resolve is keeping the Ministry of Women Affairs open to continue the growth of women's rights. She expressed concern over word she had received from members of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's (IROA) parliament, about six months ago, that the Ministry of Women Affairs would only be funded for a year.

Mohammed Noor Akbary, a current member of the IROA Parliament, acknowledged in a telephone conversation that the parliament recently discussed the need for the Ministry of Women Affairs. He said that in late September, however, they voted to keep the ministry intact, for now.

Shir Mohammadi contended that the existence of the Ministry for Women Affairs, which operates and funds the Women Training Center in Herat, is the Afghan women's way of taking on these challenges, in some regards.

Shir Mohammadi also suggested that one way to pass new ways of thinking is by educating the ANSF men and other Afghan government employees on the significant contributions women can make. The American women agreed that it is important to seek assistance in educating Afghan men.

Army Capt. Megan S. Detweiler, information operations officer for Task Force Phoenix in Kabul, told Shir Mohammadi and other Afghan women present that American women also faced challenges and a struggle for suffrage in the past, and they had to stand up for their rights.
While Shir Mohammadi and others like her continue to work toward educating the women, Gonzales assured her that the coalition will help in any way they can. For now, this often means providing basic learning materials, supplying copies of pamphlets and providing other supplies.

• Date Taken: 10.04.2007
• Date Posted: 10.04.2007 08:30
• Story ID: 12695
• Location: HERAT, AF