Women and the enjoyment of social and political rights in Afghanistan

 The gender divide has been one of the most enduring and prominent social divisions in most traditional societies throughout history. The cultures of traditional societies, with definite and unchangeable rules, separate men and women and distinguish between them. Although women's rights activists and women's rights movements have worked for more than 150 years to bridge this discriminatory gap, women are still victims in many societies, especially in traditional and backward societies such as Afghanistan. 

The worst forms of discrimination are violence and deprivation of their basic rights. These deprivations and discrimination exist in various forms and have not even spared the private life of women, but the most important manifestation of these deprivations can be seen in the public sphere and in the field of social activities. Society is a forbidden area for them and attending and participating in social activities is considered an act against morality and norm, and even a crime for them.

Afghan women have always been victims of these discriminatory restrictions and deprivations. In addition to the rapid and drastic political developments in Afghanistan's history, cultural and traditional austerity have also made it very difficult for women to participate in society.

On the other hand, women are less involved in organized activities and the creation of social movements to pursue their demands and realize their rights. Thus, their disorganized and scattered activities in the past decades to eliminate these discriminations and deprivations, although not without effect, have not been able to bridge the deep cultural and traditional gap between men and women in Afghan society. It can be said that in the new political and social environment in the past two decades, women for the first time were able to enter the field of social and political activities in a large and sometimes organized manner in Afghanistan history. 

The claim of women for their fundamental rights in this period was accompanied by many fortunes and opportunities, including: one is the bitter experiences of the Afghan people from previous periods, especially the period of strict Taliban rule, and the other is the generalization of human rights discourse and consequently, women's rights after the fall of the Taliban, which also enjoyed widespread support and presence in the international community. More importantly, these rights have gained legal protection in the international obligations of Afghanistan, the Afghan constitution and other laws for all citizens of the country, both men and women.

Afghanistan Some of the most important international instruments in the field of women's rights and the elimination of inequalities and discrimination against them, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women. It has signed and ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, etc.

 Article 3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), to which Afghanistan acceded in 1983, states: “States Parties undertake to ensure equal rights for men and women in the exercise of their civil rights. 

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) in its second article "Establish legal protection of women's rights on the basis of equality with men and ensure effective protection of women" against any discriminatory action through the competent judicial authorities and other governmental institutions "and also" taking the necessary measures, including signing laws to amend or repeal existing laws, regulations, customs or methods that are discriminatory against women "

 Is one of the obligations of member states. Article 22 of the Constitution of Afghanistan also stipulates that: "Citizens of Afghanistan, both men and women, have equal rights and status before the law."

Afghanistan's National Development Strategy also emphasizes gender equality and considers it a common and significant issue in all areas of security, governance and development in various fields: Men should enjoy equal security, rights and opportunities in all areas of life. "This strategy provides a framework for the comprehensive integration of gender in all sectors to address the situation of women in society, socio-economic conditions and access to their development opportunities."

 Afghanistan's National Development Strategy to address gender inequalities in government departments, the implementation of the social gender equality strategy is the responsibility of all government departments at the national and provincial levels. 

As a result of the efforts made so far, the situation of women today is much better than ten years ago, and Afghanistan has made great strides in this regard. Some of the most important of these achievements are:

• Widespread participation of women in the presidential and parliamentary elections
• Presence and participation of women in government offices
• Active participation of women in cultural activities
• Prominent presence in civic institutions and social activities
• Presence in parliament and provincial councils and local councils
• Finding a large number of girls in schools, universities and higher education institutions in the country
• Adoption of the new constitution and the law prohibiting violence against women and creating legal support for equal citizenship rights for them

However, women still face many problems in the context of society and are still victims of all kinds of violence, discrimination, deprivation and inequality. These problems are rooted in the bad customs and traditions of the society and the low level of awareness among the people, especially the women themselves. 

In addition, women still face gender inequalities in government structure and participation in social and political activities. Women are also more vulnerable than men to unfavorable security conditions, and the deteriorating security situation has narrowed the field for them. Although Afghan women have played a prominent role in parliamentary activities, they suffer from widespread gender discrimination. According to the United Nations Human Development Report, Afghanistan is still at the bottom of the list in terms of gender development, ranking 154th. 

 Afghan women to reduce these gender inequalities and deprivations have not stopped trying, and activities in this area continue. One of the most important demands of women has been their more prominent presence in government offices and civic institutions and strengthening their role in the management of public affairs. Equal distribution of social opportunities and equal rights to participate in political decisions and activities are among the most important demands of human rights and women's rights activists.

Afghanistan's National Development Strategy obliges the Government of Afghanistan to increase the presence of women in all sectors and to work to eliminate gender inequalities in government offices. This presence and share must include both quantitative and qualitative aspects. In other words, both the presence of women and their role in the country's decisions should be increased in order to compensate for inequality both in terms of the quantity of their presence compared to men and to improve their quality and role in decision-making ranks in offices. 

Report show that the presence and role of women in government offices has decreased and the field has become narrower for them and the government, not only at the community level, but also in the structure of its offices has not been able to fulfill its obligations to address gender inequalities.

The presence of women in the center of the country is relatively better, but in the provinces it is worse. About 27% of the total government staff in the center are women, while in the provinces only 15% of government employees are women. One of the main reasons for the decrease in the presence and role of women in government, especially in the provinces, is insecurity and the continuation of wars.