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Violence is increasing across Afghanistan as the U.S. withdraws its military troops. The horrific attack at a high school in Kabul on May 8 is only the latest aggression against Afghan women and girls. More than 50 people were killed and more than 100 injured, many of them schoolgirls.
How can the U.S. protect and support women’s rights in Afghanistan after the military withdrawal?
As part of the first anniversary of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Certification Program, the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA) is hosting the WPS Caucus Co-Chairs, Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL) and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL), along with five Afghan women leaders, to ask just this question.
This event is a chance to hear personal stories from women in leadership roles in Afghanistan. They will discuss their hopes for the future, also their fear of bloodshed and fear for their lives if the Taliban takes control. Their compelling and heart-rending stories demonstrate the remarkable courage of all Afghan women.
We hope you takeaway two things from this discussion:
- A greater understanding of the events and a realistic outlook on what lies ahead for Afghanistan; and,
- A drive to support the women and organizations who are fighting to protect the rights of Afghan women.
America has said it is committed to improving women’s protection from threats of violence and increasing women’s participation in peacekeeping and security operations. We do not want to return to the Afghanistan of two decades ago and erase all of the progress and achievements made to date.
But what should U.S. support look like as we move forward?
Join us as we #StandWithAfghanWomen.
Rep. Lois Frankel (D-FL)
Congressional Co-Chair for WPS Caucus
Ms. Naheed Farid
Member of the Afghanistan
Parliament
Ms. Zala Zazai
Afghanistan Police Investigator
Zohra Nabi
Eagle Online Academy Student
Rep. Michael Waltz (R-FL)
Congressional Co-Chair for WPS Caucus
Ms. Zarifa Ghafari
Mayor of Maidan Shahr, capital city of
the Wardak Province, Afghanistan
Ms. Manizha Wafeq
Co-founder and President at
Afghanistan Women Chamber
of Commerce and Industry
Ms. Naheed Farid
Member of the Afghanistan Parliament
Naheed Farid is a member of the Afghanistan Parliament representing the people of Herat. Mrs. Farid has served in that position since 2010 when, at the age of 27 she became the youngest person ever elected to the Afghan Parliament at the time. She is
a member of the Human Rights Commision and previously served as a member of the International Affairs Commission and as the temporary secretary of Parliament.
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Mrs. Farid is a vocal champion for Afghanistan’s future success, and a strong supporter of human rights, women’s and children’s issues. Through her work at the Farid foundation, her family charity, Mrs. Farid works on humanitarian and educational programs
for Afghan children. Previously she was the Executive Director of the Mother and Childhood Foundation of Afghanistan and has worked for the World Food Program, Medica Modiale and Dacaar. She is also an Advisory Board Member of
the Afghanistan-U.S. Democratic Peace and Prosperity Council (The DPPC), a Washington, D.C. based organization that advocates for closer ties between the U.S. Government and Afghan Parliament. Mrs. Farid holds a bachelor’s degree
in Law and Politics from Herat University, a master’s degree in International Relations from George Washington University and an honorary doctoral degree in Public Administration from Commonwealth University.
Ms. Zarifa Ghafari
Mayor of Maidan Shahr, capital city of the Wardak Province, Afghanistan
Zarifa Ghafari (Pashto: ظریفه غفاری) is an Afghan advocate, activist, politician and entrepreneur.[1] She is the current mayor of Maidan Shahr, capital city of the Wardak Province,
Afghanistan. [2] Zarifa is one of the few Afghanistani female mayors, and also is the youngest
to be appointed at the age of 26. She is known for her efforts in empowering women's rights in Afghanistan. [3] Zarifa was chosen as an International Woman of Courage in 2020 by the US Secretary of State. [4]
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She attended Halima Khazan High School in Paktia Province for her primary education and pursued her higher studies at the University of Punjab. [1]
She was officially appointed as the mayor of Maidan Shahr in July 2018 by the incumbent President Ashraf Ghani. [5] However, her term as mayor of Maiden Shahr had to be delayed for a period of nine months due to intervention
of other powerful politicians. [6] On her very first day as mayor, she faced harassment from a group of men who mobbed her office and warned her
to resign from the position. [7] She also faced death threats from Taliban and
ISIL after assuming her duties as mayor. Zarifa was sworn in as mayor of the Maidan Shahr in March 2019. Zarifa was able to introduce an anti-litter campaign in her
town and she is a role model to other women. [4]
Ms. Zala Zazai
Afghanistan Police Investigator
Investigation police department in Afghanistan's Khost province caused a national stir when it was first announced.
Zala Zazai, 21, took charge in a province plagued by a Taliban-led insurgency after she was sworn in early June in an official ceremony, vowing to serve her community despite the dangers.
Her appointment received mix reactions, with many applauding the move as a step towards gender equality in a highly patriarchal society. Others voiced opposition to having a woman police chief, due to patriarchal cultural norms.
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Zazai - who completed her military studies in Turkey - told The New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site that the uproar that followed her appointment as local police chief does not concern her, with the national debate even seeping into her own family.
"My only concern is to encourage women in Afghanistan who come from deprived backgrounds to pursue their dreams and ambitions, despite living in a male-dominated society," she said.
"My family and I have fought cultural traditions, but as a result my extended family, including my uncles, and the closest people to us stopped talking to us," she said. "They stopped visiting us or inviting us over, as if I had committed a crime.
"However, I continue doing my work, because I work for my community and I want enable women to raise their voices and be heard," she said.
Zazai's journey into the police force has been a challenging one, she acknowledges.
"I was born into a family that was part of a tribe, which did not allow women to go out to study," she said. "So how do you think they responded to me working in the police force? But thanks to my mother’s support, I was able to push past these hurdles.
"I took a daring step and accepted my appointment because this is the job that I love and I can use this platform to serve women," she added. "I expect people to support me, and to only criticise me if I failed at my job."
Ms. Manizha Wafeq
Co-founder and President at Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Manizha Wafeq graduated from the inaugural PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® class in 2007 and is currently teaching her 12th year of PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® training in Kabul as the Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women’s In-Country Facilitator
for Afghanistan. In this role, she has taught and mentored more than 350 Afghan businesswomen in Kabul and other smaller provinces. In December, Manizha led business trainings for nearly 50 women for the second year of the PEACE THROUGH
BUSINESS® / Northwood University Pathways mini-courses in three different provinces of Afghanistan.
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Manizha is the co-founder of several organizations to advocate for women's economic empowerment, including the PEACE THROUGH BUSINESS® Network, and Leading Entrepreneurs for Afghanistan’s Development (LEAD), a predecessor organization
for the Afghanistan Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI). Her persistent and influential lobbying skills resulted to change LEAD to a women’s chamber of commerce which gained more attention and influence to businesswomen
around the country. In only 1½ years of AWCCI’s life, several policy recommendations were incorporated and approved. Among them were the 5% preference clause in the national procurement procedure of the government and 15-25% of
industrial parks to be allocated to small, medium and women-owned businesses in the national industrial park’s policy.
- She has over 16 years of experience in women’s empowerment and gender equality working with international, government and non-governmental organizations. Despite being a mother, she managed to earn her MBA from the American University
of Afghanistan in 2017.
- Co-author of a training manual on Business Start-ups and a “Gender and the Legal Framework of Afghanistan” training manual.
- Winner of several awards such as the Enterprising Women Magazine Award from the United States, Leadership Award from the National Business Association of the US, and Young Activist Award from the Afghan Women's Network and the
Afghan Lower House of the Parliament.
- Established gender units within the Ministries of Commerce and Industry and trained their staff. She trained more than 500 government employees on gender concepts in Kabul and in some provinces.
- Founder of Bibi Khadija Award; An annual award honoring successful businesswomen and role models in Afghanistan. The award is named after the Prophet Mohammad's wife who was the first Muslim woman trader.
Ms. Zohra Nabi
Eagle Online Academy Student
Zohra is also an Information Communication Technology Assistant at USAID’s Musharikat Knowledge Management. Musharikat has formed eight issue-based coalitions with participation of 300 women’s rights-focused civil society organizations (CSOs) and 5,000 activists from all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
Born in an educated family, Zohra's parents were always aware of the challenges of raising daughters in a male-dominated country. As the youngest of the three daughters, Zohra's parents always believed and encouraged their daughters to grow up strong and independent.
Her father was always concerned about having only daughters and no sons; however, all three daughters proved themselves, including Zohra. The challenges were always there, and she learned at a young age that she needs to work harder to prove herself. However, with a supportive family by her side, giving up was not an option.
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After graduating from school in 2015, Zohras began her internship, working for a few organizations until she finally could get a job. Without a job to cover her family’s expenses, she could not continue her education.
In 2016, after she finished her internship, Zohras got a job and was finally able to help her family with the household expenses and also continue her education in following a career of her dreams.
“I have chosen the IT sector as my Bachelor since it is my area of interest, and it is not a usual sector that girls have chosen to study," confirms Zohra.
Today, she works as an ICT and Coalitions Membership Assistant. However, Zohra is not done yet as she intends to specialize in cybersecurity and plans to start her own cybersecurity consulting services company as soon as she completes her courses at Eagle Online Academy.
"I was always looking to specialize in cybersecurity, but unfortunately, I could not find any place here in Kabul to continue my studies and complete my dream. When I heard about Eagle Online Academy, the first thing that came to my mind was to check into the website if there is cybersecurity training, and I did find my dream came true with Eagle Online Academy."
Moderator: Michelle Quinn,
ISOA WPS Working Group Leader, and Former Chairman of the ISOA Board of Directors
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