Reflection
On March 5th, I attended an event with the Connecticut World Affairs Council at the University of St. Joseph for International Women's Day. The key speaker was H.E. Roya Rahmani, the former ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States. It was an absolute honor to be in her presence and it is inspiring to know how much she has contributed to the fight for gender equality for women around the world and in Afghanistan.
The discussion was largely centered on the state of women's rights in Afghanistan and how their situation of inequality can be improved. However, Rahmani gave a descriptive background of what the current situation is in Afghanistan not only for women but for everyone living there. She discussed how Afghanistan is economically isolated from the rest of the world due to the lack of political and economic recognition from the rest of the world. There is very little political stability because of this and there is only a handful of national embassies that represent the country. She said that the worst and “darkest” part of the struggle in Afghanistan is that women, who make up 50% of the population in Afghanistan, are sent to prisons and jails as punishment for a variety of often ridiculous reasons. This leaves workplaces and Afghan society empty.
It was addressed that women in Afghanistan have lost access to nearly everything that can help them succeed in their lives; most importantly they have lost access to education and financial resources. Rahmani made the claim that the most important factor in improving the quality of life for women in Afghanistan is providing them with economic opportunities that would allow them to be stable and even self-reliant. Along with this, proper education MUST be provided to girls and women around Afghanistan to ensure that they have a foundation for stability and knowledge in their lives. While it is a very daunting and complicated process to ensure that this happens because of the Taliban's presence, Rahmani said that just simply speaking of women’s struggles in Afghanistan makes a difference and can make a change. The public and greater society must bring awareness to these issues in order to bring aid, whether it is economic, political, medical, or any other kind of aid, to Afghanistan to help the people.