A women rights activist's dairy from Afghanistan

Declaration of Afghan Women NGOs 5th May, 2005

Whereas consideration of Islamic Sharia, the protection of basic human dignity, and the Afghan Constitution make the Afghan state responsible to protect the rights, property, and dignity of its citizens;
Whereas binding international conventions further oblige the Afghan state to protect the fundamental rights of men and women;
Whereas harmful outdated customs and beliefs in Afghanistan have resulted in acts of violence against women throughout the past catastrophic decades in the country;
Therefore institutions that work to defend human rights, associations that protect women’s rights, and members of Afghanistan’s civil society present this declaration as a proclamation of our grief and sorrow over of brutal killing of 22-year-old Amina in Badakhshan Province, the rape and killing of three women NGO-workers in Baghlan Province and the murder of a woman in Pulikhumri city. With a deep sense of concern for the threats to women’s dignity, honour, and lives in this difficult period, we call for the punishment of the perpetuators of these crimes against women and humanity, and demands the following actions from the government of Afghanistan:


1. We urge the elected president of Afghanistan to focus his urgent and serious personal attention to the issues mentioned above;
2. We insist that the judicial system of Afghanistan, as the institution responsible for justice in the country:
a. Expand and extend the reach and enforcement of the judicial system to the rural areas of the country in order to prevent similar actions from happening in the future;
b. Convict the merciless perpetrators of Amina’s murder;
c. Investigate the murder and rape of the other women immediately and urgently convict the criminals responsible in a public trial to ensure that the consequences of such actions are clear to others.
3. The government of Afghanistan, as a responsible and accountable institution, has to prohibit propaganda against NGOs so that attacks and assault against the workers of nongovernmental organizations are prevented;
4. Considering the budget that is allocated for national security, the government of Afghanistan must work and attain better prepared and more expert security for its citizens.
5. The clerics and Islamic scholars of the country, in accordance with their role as protectors of Sharia, must thwart the actions and movements that sully the name of Islam and Muslims.

As a consortium of concerned Afghan women, we denounce all actions and activities that perpetuate and promote violence against women.

From:

Afghan Women Lawyer’s Council
Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan
Afghanistan Women Education Centre
Omid Education Centre
Noor Educational Centre
Afghan Women’s Political Participation Committee
Bakhtar Services Association (11th District)
Rights and Democracy
Nahid Shahid Collaborating Committee with Afghan Women
Women for the Reconstruction of Afghanistan
Arya Mehr Reconstruction
Association for the Capacity Building of Afghan Women
The Association for the Defence of Women’s Rights in Balkh
Rowzana
The Afghan Women’s Rights Defence Committee
Gowharsha Association for Rehabilitation and Skill Development
The Association for Handicrafts of Central Afghanistan’s Women
The Committee for the Reconstruction of Women’s Rights
The Afghan Women’s Network
Shafaq Journal
The Association of Developing Services for Women and Children
All-Afghan Women’s Union
Centre for Afghan Women’s Health Development
Education Centre for poor women and girls
Civil Society and Human rights network
The Civil Society Association for Peace