By: U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Nicholas Mercurio

KUNAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - What amount of suffering would a person have to endure to commit suicide by lighting themselves on fire?

This was the question that came to mind as Nasima Shafiq Sadat, Kunar Province Director of Women’s Affairs, recounted the tales of sorrow of Afghanistan’s women to two U.S. servicemembers from the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team’s Female Engagement Team.

“I am a witness to the pain of these women,” Sadat said. “Women who are routinely beaten, forbidden to attend school and given away by their fathers to cover gambling debts. Today is for these women.”

As she spoke, Sadat gestured toward the crowd of more than 80 women who had descended on the Ministry of Culture and Information, some traveling up to one hour over treacherous roads, to attend the Women’s Justice Shura Nov. 30.

It was a day with two purposes, said Dr. Rafiullah Bidar, Jalalabad regional program manager for the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.

“First, we want to achieve awareness, especially about the law protecting women from abuse. Second, we want to discuss better implementation of the law in Kunar.”

The law Bidar was referring to was passed 15 months ago. It contains 20 specifications of prohibited behavior toward women, from obvious physical abuse to more nuanced, culturally specific prohibitions banning forced marriages and making it illegal for parents to keep their daughters from attending school.

“I am happy to be here and support the fight for women’s rights,” said Gov. Fazlullah Wahidi, Kunar provincial governor. “We have a law, and it should be enforced. The women here are fighting so hard for what they believe in.”

In a country beset by war, this fight does not call for bombs or bullets, it requires understanding.

“Men and women in Islam are the same, they are equal under Allah,” said Imam Naquibullah Mohsin, as he spoke of the ways in which women’s rights are in harmony with Islam, a difficult task in fiercely traditional Kunar Province. “Peace will never come to Afghanistan until the violence toward women ceases. The violence is a result of not being educated ... if you do not educate yourself, how can you pray to Allah and ask for forgiveness?”

The women gathered saw progress made that very day as Wahidi called for a female district subgovernor in Kunar Province, a notion inconceivable a few months ago.

“I am excited by the attendance I see here today. Kunar has a strong women’s rights movement and we, the PRT, are proud to support you,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Brian Goss of Annapolis, Md., Kunar PRT commander. “Women, wives, sisters, mothers and daughters are the center of any world and we are all better because of you.”

For a day born out of sadness, it ended in hope; hope for justice and for a brighter future for all Afghans.

Notes by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberley A. Skinner

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