Plassnik: “Women must participate in shaping Afghanistan’s future”
Special Envoy comments on agenda for tomorrow’s London Conference
Vienna, 27 January – “Every day Afghanistan’s women and girls fight for their survival between the millstones of radical Islamic Taliban and unscrupulous warlords. UN Resolution 1325 on women and peace and security should therefore serve as an orientation for the Afghanistan Conference scheduled to start in London tomorrow,” affirmed the Foreign Ministry’s Special Envoy for International Women’s Issues, Ursula Plassnik. “Resolution 1325 obliges all UN member states to ensure that women become more strongly involved in the management and resolution of conflicts. The better future desired for Afghanistan will not be possible without the involvement and participation of women and girls,” warned the Special Envoy.
“In the Afghanistan of the 21st century the opponents of women’s rights - as representatives of local authorities, male relatives or husbands - are still all-powerful. Violence and a lack of rights overshadow life in the inviolable precincts of poverty and hardship amidst sooty stoves and dark courtyards. Hopelessness compels an increasing number of young women to commit suicide. Too many men disguise their own helplessness through violence against women and children. Too many religious leaders abuse scripture in order to suppress women. Too many government representatives prefer to abide by inhumane practices masked as customs, rather than follow the law. Despite the constitutional equality of the sexes, violation of the fundamental rights of women is still accompanied by the barbarism of impunity,” emphasised Plassnik.
“Afghanistan’s new beginning must succeed! But an essential prerequisite and basis for this to happen is the participation of women in all spheres of life. Women must be represented at the different levels of government and administration and must be provided the opportunity to add their specific experiences, skills and needs. They must no longer lead a life in the shadows but become respected and equal partners in politics, business and society,” concluded Plassnik.
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