Afghan women, though victims: UN

KABUL (Tolo News): Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, recently said that women must have equal rights to demonstrate peacefully without fear of reprisal and to speak openly about the problems in society.
Her statement said: “The women of this country are often portrayed in the international fora (arena) and media as victims. In fact, Afghan women have – in the face of war, extreme poverty and unspeakable violence and discrimination – been working tirelessly to protect and provide for their families and communities. They have been threatened and attacked for speaking up, and denied and excluded from positions of power and decision-making, but this has not stopped them from advocating courageously for their rights and creating networks of support. They are not passive bystanders.”
Bachelet, who has visited Afghanistan, expressed concern over the situation of Afghan women and said Afghan women have been threatened and attacked for speaking up and are excluded from positions of power and decision-making. She further said that violence against women and girls should never be tolerated and perpetrators of violations against women should brought to justice.
Michelle Bachelet in a statement said that she is speaking to the Islamic Emirate’s authorities about the urgent need to uphold the fundamental human rights of women and girls. There is a critical need to end serious human rights violations against women.
She called for the education and inclusion of women and girls, saying girls in Afghanistan should be able to go to school and university and women should be visibly represented in the police force, in courts of law, in government and in the private sector. “For this beautiful country to finally find peace and progress, Afghan women should be active agents for change and be given the space to lead peacebuilding, humanitarian and development processes,” said Michelle Bachelet. This comes as Deborah Lyons, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, emphasized on International Women’s Day that the denial of women’s rights to free movement, work, participation in public life and education, is limiting greater economic development for the country.