Progress and Pitfalls of “Peace-Building”

in Afghanistan continues.

The status of women in Afghanistan has been ranked in recent years in various gender and developmental discourses as one of the lowest compared to others countries as already indicated in the earlier chapter.

The maternal mortality rate is the second highest in the world with 1600 deaths per 100,000 live births, mainly due to poor access and nonavailablity of pre-natal health care services, the life expectancy of women is 43, one of the lowest in the world. The literacy rates among women are reported to be very low and an assessment of the literacy levels of women in 2003 showed that only14percent of girls and women over the age of fifteen were literate (UNICEF). The highest women’s literacy levels among Islamic countries in the region were in Iran (82 percent) followed by Iraq (percent), Pakistan (25 percent) and Bangladesh (20 percent). Illiteracy, lack of rights, forced marriages and dowry, restrictions on freedom of movement and security were some of the major problems faced by women in contemporary Afghanistan.

The political status of women in any society can be judged by the degree of equality and freedom enjoyed by women in sharing political

power. Some findings here are significant. In the National Assembly election held in 2005. Out of the 2,835 people who filed their nominations as candidates for the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House), 344 were women. Despite threats to stay away from the ballot box, women did come out to vote in large numbers (40 percent of the 41 percent registered women voters.

Such representation, although amazing has no value in real terms. Reports indicate that although they have entered the parliament in large numbers, they are not allowed to freely participate in discussions or raise questions

concerning the people of their region and national interest. Their voices are gagged by threats and abuses from former military commanders and their conservative male counterparts. There are reported threats to

women parliamentarians from different sources and sporadic acts of violence against them.

To be continued....