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V-Mail Flash June 12, 2003
Dear V-Mail Reader,
We wanted to share with you the recently released report from the Afghan Women's Leadership Program that took place March 8-11 in Kabul. At V-Day, we believe that "Afghanistan Is Everywhere," that women all over the world share common although different experiences. We also have met with and seen first hand the situation in and around Afghanistan and - contrary to what the administration has said - freedom, security and aide have not been achieved or reached the Afghan people. We believe that we must continue and multiply our efforts towards achieving real security and equal rights for Afghan women.
Yours,
The V-Team
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AFGHAN WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP PROGRAM:
LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR THE WOMEN OF AFGHANISTAN
Sponsored by V-Day
Kabul, Afghanistan
March 8-10, 2003
REPORT FROM
V-DAY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE HIBAAQ OSMAN AND
PROGRAM CONSULTANT ELEANOR LeCAIN
5/1/03
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Our trip to Afghanistan came at a time when clouds of war hovered over the region. We heard reports of increased violence in Afghanistan, and the war in Iraq was about to begin. Most of us in the delegation had a nagging feeling of uncertainty. We knew that something we had no control over was about to happen. Our decision to go as an organization was based on our commitment to the Afghan women. We wanted to be with the Afghan women at a time they were feeling abandonment. We wanted to stand with them in solidarity and friendship despite the danger. We are very glad we went. Our trip was both spiritually enriching and deeply moving.
The Leadership Program in Kabul would not have been possible without the help and trust of many wonderful women. The Honorable Habiba Sarabi, Minister of Women's Affairs in Afghanistan, offered unending support and made her staff and office accessible to us. Cheryl Ray, Adviser to the Minister of Women's Affairs, offered guidance and advice that contributed to the success of our workshop. Afifa Azim, head of the Afghan Women's Network, did a great job as co-facilitator of the workshop and helped mightily in its preparation. Prior to the workshop, she and her great assistant, Shuriya, brought together over thirty-five women's organizations to review the program. Afifa's wisdom, leadership, and unique skills helped the Afghan participants to open up and share deeply. Eleanor LeCain brought a wealth of experience to the workshop, her patience and incredible communication with the women brought everyone together and helped the participants to set and achieve goals. Eleanor designed the program and co-facilitated the workshop. Our gratitude goes to Troy, Paulo, Shamaya and Jackie of the V-Day delegation, who took a chance and came along regardless of the danger.
This program would not have been possible without the generous support of the Global Fund and Mama Cash for trusting and understanding in this initiative. They understood that this was to support the efforts of the Afghan women on the ground rather than reinventing the wheel. Kavita and Ellen thank you.
Finally, a heartfelt thanks to the women of Afghanistan, whose courage in the face of extremely difficult circumstances inspires us all.
With deep appreciation and affection,
Hibaaq Osman, Special Representative to V-Day
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
In response to requests by the women of Afghanistan, V-Day organized an Afghan Women's Leadership Seminar in Kabul, Afghanistan. The purpose of the seminar was to provide the women of Afghanistan with an opportunity to come together, share their vision of a future without violence, and develop a plan of action on which they could work together to create that future. This seminar was part of V-Day's global campaign to end violence against women. It was the most recent in a series of V-Day visits supporting the women of Afghanistan.
The Leadership Seminar was held in Kabul on March 8-10, 2003 in celebration of International Women's Day. Over two hundred and fifty women attended the opening reception, and over seventy women participated in the lively two-day workshop. Together participants envisioned Afghanistan free of violence, identified the major problems blocking them, and developed plans of action to stop violence against women.
The women agreed to form on-going working groups to implement the plans they developed based on their highest priorities. The groups are as follows:
- A public awareness campaign to stop violence against women This campaign will spread information about the rights that women already have under the Constitution and in Sharia law, as well as information about domestic violence and ways of stopping it.
- A women's petition for disarmament to call for the disarmament of the warlords and national peace.
- A campaign to increase women's political power his campaign will aim to influence the Constitution and rules of election that are now being written; inform women about the election scheduled for 2004 and why it matters; encourage women to vote and to run for office; call for 25% of the elected representatives to be women; and support the tying of international aid to the participation of women in the reconstruction and running of the country.
- An initiative to provide public education to all girls and women. Work to increase the number of teachers and supplies for girls and women.
- A project to increase women's economic empowerment. Increase the opportunities for paid work for women. Having their own money will increase women's stature in their family and community, and give them an avenue for self-expression and contribution to their household and the greater society.
BACKGROUND:
· V-Day: There is an epidemic of violence against women across the globe. To address this, Eve Ensler founded V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day challenges people to envision a world without violence, and supports women organizing to create such a world. As the playwright of "The Vagina Monologues," Ms. Ensler has generated worldwide attention and excitement on this issue. In addition, the play and related activities have generated over $14 million. These funds are dedicated entirely to supporting the efforts of women at the grassroots level to stop the violence against women.
· Afghanistan: One of the many countries where V-Day has been active is Afghanistan. The women of Afghanistan have endured extensive violence throughout the past 23 years of war including the Russian occupation, the recent US bombings, the rule of local warlords, and the lack of their human rights under the Taliban. In late 2001, V-Day was instrumental in organizing the Afghan Women's Summit for Democracy, a two-day global gathering of Afghan women held in Brussels December 4-5, 2001. Over 40 grassroots leaders, broadly representative of women in Afghanistan, took part in the Summit and issued the Brussels Proclamation, a document calling for significant portions of any international aid to be directed to projects benefiting women, and demanding full restoration of women's rights as citizens, including the participation of women in drafting new laws and a future constitution. The document addresses four central components of Afghan society - Education and Culture, Healthcare, Refugees and Human rights. The goal of the Summit was to bring the voices of the Afghan women into the international political discourse, ensuring that their message is heard and that women have equal say and rights in the new government. Following the Summit, a delegation of six Afghan women from the meeting carried their message to key political decision-makers around the world, including the United Nations, Congress, the State Department, European Parliament, and key media and cultural leaders.
· The intention of V-Day is to support the women of Afghanistan in their efforts to stop violence against women in their country. To this end, V-Day sponsored another meeting in Kabul in March 2002. At this meeting, over eighty women addressed the question, "What are the critical needs of women?" They were brimming with ideas. One of their main requests was for training in leadership.
· In response to this request and to celebrate International Women's Day in 2003, V-Day returned to Afghanistan to sponsor an Afghan Women's Leadership Training. On March 7, 2003, V-Day met with over thirty-five heads of national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to review the agenda, to explain what the workshop is about, to explain why V-Day was doing this, and to learn more about what the local groups were doing in the country. The NGOs were also given a survey to give more detailed information about their organizations including how they started and what they expected from the planned workshop.
· On Saturday, March 8, 2003, V-Day sponsored a reception celebrating International Women's Day at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Over 250 women participated in the very spirited event, filling two large rooms. The women spoke about the importance of unity, of working together.
· One of the women who came from Kandahar province reported that they had trouble getting permission from their husbands to attend the meeting. Women who wished to attend the workshop could not attend because they did not have permission from their husbands. One woman is educated and works, while her husband has no education and no job, yet he told her she could not attend. Finally at the last minute he agreed to let her attend. All three women came with their husbands. Other women also could not travel without their "Mehram," a male escort such as a husband, brother, or son.
· The Kandahar women met with other women in their community before coming to Kabul so the ideas of other women from Kandahar who could not attend would still be represented at our meeting. They ran through the agenda we had sent them. They discussed the problem of their husbands beating them, and asked what they could do to get out from under. "What if you just went anyway, without his permission?" asked one. "I'm afraid of losing my children," the woman replied. Under the current law, if the children are older than nine, custody goes to the father, but if the children are younger than nine, custody goes to the mother. The man can take custody of the older children and the woman has no rights. So they decided one area they wanted to focus on was changing the custody laws, so they would not be afraid of losing their children. They also discussed the violence of men towards women, and decided to initiate an educational campaign about the issue, including vital information about women's legal rights. Even before the seminar officially began, it stimulated women taking action to improve their situation.
· The day before the meeting, the two co-facilitators, Eleanor LeCain - consultant to V-Day - and Afifa Azim - Director of the Afghan Women's Network - met with the convener of the meeting, Hibaaq Osman - Special representative for V-Day - to finalize plans for the session. As they were reviewing the agenda in the hotel, the electricity went out. There was still some light in the hallway, so they moved the easel pads into the hallway and carried on. The experience was symptomatic of the challenges of living and working in Afghanistan, which is still in the early stages of reconstruction after the devastation of 23 years of war. The three met before and after each session throughout the workshop to discuss what worked and what needed improvement.
· On Sunday morning, March 9, the Afghan Women's Leadership Training began. While thirty-five Afghan women had pre-registered, over seventy women came. Women were so eager to participate; the room was nearly full at 8:30am, thirty minutes before the program was scheduled to start. Being at the meeting was a treat for many women. Most women still must have a man accompany them when they go outside of the house. Participants included the Deputy Minister of Women's Affairs, women in the Loya Jirga (the national assembly), heads of organizations, teachers, lawyers, judges, doctors, journalists, university lecturers, other influential women leaders, and women who participated both in the 2001 Brussels summit and the V-Day 2002 Kabul Talks.
To continue to read the complete report, go to: http://www.vday.org/contents/vday/press/releases/0305011
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