With the withdrawal of US and Nato troops in 2014 what is the future for women and girls in Afghanistan.

Even if the Taliban does not gain more control, the present government is not committed to further the rights of females, according to this article below.

Will all the progress regarding female education. etc be dissolved with more Taliban influence?

This article does not paint a very optimistic picture.

http://womennewsnetwork.net/2013/06/03/afghan-men-women-and-girls/

Banjo
I agree the outlook does not look good. It depends on what happens after the withdrawal of troops and another reason why intervention does not always achieve the desired results. Change has to happen from within by the people of Afghanistan. There has to be the will for change. That's the way change works.

Intervention tends to create the opposite effect and the idea that the West is patronising to the rest of the world. Thus when the troops leave my guess it will be business as usual unless the Taliban are summarily booted by the people of Afghanistan. It takes time to change a cultural mindset and deeply entrenched attitudes about women who in some countries have the same status as cattle.

Banjo I share your concern.
But have hope, some of the bravest acts in defense of rights have always come from women.
And many are in Muslim country,s, so fingers crossed.
But while you are unli8kely to find much good in the very left, for that mater me too, in respect of todays so called left.
Once they would be very active in sharing our fears concerns and would act.
Now?
Bloke unless we America or a western world country spills the salt at a Bar B Q ? uninterested!

Pelican,

"That's the way change works."

Well, that's the way change OUGHT to work, but if men perceive that they are doing okay out of a backward and repressive system, why should they engage in change ?

After all, isn't this a sort of alternative definition of 'culture' - that those with power sanction, and shape, how people in a particular society should think and believe ? And usually, aren't these the men ?

So the human rights of women in Afghanistan - and the cultural 'rights' of the men in Afghanistan - stand in direct contradiction to each other.

The dilemma for any genuine feminist is: do I support human rights for women in Afghanistan, or do I support the 'cultural' rights of men in Afghanistan to oppress and suppress 'their' women, in a time-honoured way, no matter how reactionary and backward that may seem to unsophisticated outside observers ?

Hmmmmm, as Rob Sitch would say, that's a difficult one.

Joe

Surely the subject deserves more attention?
Or are folk too involved in things like like exports and save the hairy nosed wombat to want a better life for women?

Belly,
I put up this thread for two reasons. One, I was disappointed when I read the article and I wanted to see if others were interested in the future of these women.

After the thread has been up for 24 hours, it can be said that few are interested.

Secondly, I was somewhat hopeful that others may have information that gives a more optimistic outlook for Afghanistan women. So far this seems unlikely.

One thing beneficial coming from the war is that girls and womens situations have improved somewhat. This has come at great cost to some girls with their deaths and acid attacks simply because they wanted a bit of education.

It will be a crying shame if the few hard won advantages regress to what it was before.

Is there no hope for any improvement?