LW have discussions with Afghan woman MP Shinkai Karokhail

Issued : Tuesday 2 February, 2010

Shinkai Karokhail, MP in the Afghan National Assembly, visited Dublin for a briefing on the situation with women in Afghanistan. She was accompanied by Serena Di Matteo, the Country Director of Christian Aid, an organisation which has been operating in Afghanistan for nearly 40 years.

“ We are here because the Afghan women need to be heard”, Ms Karokhail said. “Our main messages are, first of all, that we need to maintain the security in Afghanistan to make it possible to progress the development. The military presence provides security within which progress can be made. Secondly, we are asking the donors and others involved to be patient with our country – some gains have been made, for example 25% of our MPs are women, but we have to be patient. The development has to be Afghan-led, and civic life has to be involved, rather than donor-led. We need help but not just donor-led help. Finally, it is most crucial that we do not just focus on security but give equal focus to development. That is the key message.”

“Since 2001 the country has progressed very little. The mortality rate for childbirth is high with over 20,000 women dying every year, over 90% women experience violence, under 20% of women are literate, customary anti-women practises are still common with for example a woman being used as an exchange item in a dispute, HIV/Aids affects one million people, and the country is one of the poorest countries in the world. In addition people do not know how to act politically or in the civic life as they have no knowledge of this or have any civic education.”

“Because women are not a threat they are pushed to the back of the queue. Women are no longer a priority.”

“Do you know that most people who join the Taliban do it because they are poor? Lack of development on the ground and lack of opportunities pushes some people to join. The best way to combat the Taliban is to develop our country.”

“We also need Government accountability. More money should go to NGOs. A lot of important work takes place in the rural areas, I am for example involved in a Women’s Education Centre, and it is the NGOs who are doing this work.”

Ms Karokhail has already made an impact in the Parliament : her initiative led to the increase of the marriage age. Girls are married off, but while they can leave the marriage when they become adults how do you end the marriage if you are a mother at 13 years of age and have no education and no way to manage on your own?

“I come from a rural family, from a very conservative background. My father was a tribal leader. Both my brother and my husband were against me running in an election. But I did it. I ran and I beat the male candidates. Women can do it. Your life is at risk when you are involved in politics. But what can I do? I have to help my country. I have to make the voice of the Afghan women heard.”

We must hope that the women of Afghanistan do not get pushed aside. No country can make progress unless women are given freedom from their traditional roles, unless they are being educated and unless they can decide for themselves about their reproduction. If Afghanistan does not progress its women's lives, it cannot progress as a country. It is as simple as that.