Greater role stressed for women in peace drive

KABUL’s symbolic representation in the government-initiated reconciliation process.

The HRRAC, which works in the fields of humanitarian relief, reconstruction, human and women’s rights, peace promotion, released a report based on people’s views about women’s role in the reconciliation campaign.

In the report, 1,250 people, 50 percent of them women, were interviewed in Kabul, Badakhshan, Herat, Nangarhar and Balkh provinces. It said 96 percent of the respondents urged a major role for women in the reconciliation programme.

A HRRAC official, Reza Hussaini, told a news conference in Kabul that the Afghan government wanted to drum up global support by giving women nominal representation in the peace drive.

“The report stresses the need for a partnership between men and women in the peace process and people’s access to information about negotiations to ensure transparency in the campaign,” he said.

HRRAC Director Jamila Omar lashed out at government policy on reconciliation, saying women’s small presence in the High Peace Council and provincial committees showed clear aversion to their role in making important decisions. 

Another HRRAC official, Sharifa Zurmati, said the council followed traditional practices that deprived women of their rights, despite their ability to play an effective role in resolving ethnic problems.

mm/ma/mud