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Marina Nikolova

Тhe situation of women in Afghanistan has improved significantly оver the last decade, but there is still much to be done in terms of education and their involvement in the political and socio-cultural life, said public figures from the country who visited Greece.

One of the achievements is that they already have identity cards, which was unthinkable previously. They can go to school and even half of the university students are women, reported the journalist Asadula Shafay for the BBC.  

There are two groups in Afghanistan against which there is racist attitude and which were not allowed to take part in the political and public life for decades. Khazars and women are the most oppressed in Afghanistan , said Vaezi Hamze - researcher and writer. The first reason is that they were excluded from participation in political life. The Talibans have deprived women of their right to be educated and they, along with the Khazars, had no right to vote in the elections. One of the country leaders, Hasim Halis, had added an ordinance in the constitution that Khazars could not be educated, serve in the army and hold public office, which also applied to women. Another reason is religion that gives greater importance to women, but it is misunderstood. Only men who are family heads are entitled to inheritance and divorce. The third reason lies in culture and tradition, said Hamze, giving as an example the fact that there are still markets for women in some areas of the country. Overall, according to the researcher, these are the three main reasons that sometimes hinder the development of women in Afghanistan .

Nowadays, the most pioneering women are from the tribe of the Khazars and they have come on the public stage over the past decade, said Hamze. The former - and first - minister for women's issues Sima Samar is Khazar and so are the first woman governor and the first mayor in Afghanistan. They were very well accepted and have done a lot in their fields of responsibility, states Vaezi Hamze. In some cities in Afghanistan such as Kabul and Nazar women are able to work but the help of the international community is needed to continue the changes in a positive direction, stated Hamze during an event organized by the Afghan community in Athens.  

It is necessary to show that women are fighting for gender equality and an example of this is Sima Samar, said Maria Stratigaki of the General Secretariat for Gender Equality at the Ministry of the Interior. The Afghan Sima Samar was the first minister for women's issues in Afghanistan and UN envoy in Sudan. She fought for women to educate themselves and, in her efforts to help as much as she could, she even searched for fabrics for the girls’ aprons. Sima Samar fought the burqa, which causes the softening of the bones of women as they are protected from sunlight when fully covered.

"Our message is to recognize the importance of the fact that women in Afghanistan participated in the riots at all levels, and the fact that they can work with new technologies," said the representative of the General Secretariat for Gender Equality Maria Stratigaki. A step forward has been made as women have access to education, but the problems in daily life persist; for example, the fact that men want them to stay home and the practice to get married while they are still children violate their fundamental human rights. The question is what will happen when the situation in the country gets into its normal rhythm of life, added Stratigaki. The psychologist Naphisa Rauf, who lives outside the country, stressed the need for active participation and support by foreign forces in Afghanistan .

Today’s event on the occasion of the anniversary of the death of Abdullah Mazari was organized by the Afghan community and was held in the hall of the Union of Lawyers in Athens. Abdullah Mazari is one of the heroes of Afghanistan because he fought for freedom, rights and equality in the country but was murdered by the Talibans in 1995. Girls from the Afghan community read in Greek letters from their classmates from Afghanistan within the event programme. A short film was shown with a message from children – foreign countries to support the education of children in Afghanistan.

The Afghan community in Athens was founded in 2007. Its main purpose is to inform immigrants and refugees of their rights and obligations in Greece in order to be able to integrate into the country.