When the United States and its allies went to war against the Taliban after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, "liberating the women of Afghanistan" was often cited as one of the reasons to seek "regime change." More than seven years later, however, the situation for Afghan women remains dire.
Last spring, I wrote from Kabul about the controversy over a law that would have restored Taliban-style restrictions on women and legalized marital rape. President Hamid Karzai remanded the law for further study after an international furor. But late last month, with an eye toward gaining conservative religious votes in tomorrow's presidential election, he quietly issued the law without resubmitting it to parliament.
For women, Afghanistan's recent elections appear to have been more of a setback than a step forward.
Early reports strongly suggest that voter turnout fell more sharply for women than for men in Thursday's polls. Election observers blame Taliban attacks, a dearth of female election workers and hundreds of closed women's voting sites.
Five years ago, with the country at peace, traditional taboos easing and Western donors pushing for women to participate in democracy, millions of Afghan women eagerly registered and then voted for a presidential candidate. In a few districts, female turnout was even higher than male turnout.
Cairo - In the halls of the United Nation's New York bureau, officials have been considering a proposal to unify the UN's many organisations promoting women's equality and rights into a single “gender entity”. This entity would have a greatly increased budget – exactly how much is still being debated – and would be headed by an executive at the rank of Under-Secretary General.
Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, with its ubiquitous closures, checkpoints, military raids and arrests, has decimated the Palestinian economy in the West Bank and Gaza.
Women's rights have improved in 15 of 18 countries in the Middle East and North Africa over the past five years, although violence against women remains widespread throughout the region, a US study has found.
Israeli troops on Saturday clashed in the occupied West Bank with Palestinian women and youths who were protesting against plans to build new homes for Jewish settlers.
An AFP correspondent said the troops fired tear gas to disperse about 200 Palestinian women and youths who gathered at the Qalandiya checkpoint north of Jerusalem.
Another political event takes place in Iraq without much mention of women. And in the rare occasion that women are mentioned, it is often with the token spirit about how wonderful it is that they now have 25 percent of political seats in the Iraqi parliament.
Aisha and Mariam both arrived in the Al Mazraq camp in the northern Hajjah region about six months ago, forced to flee their homes in the nearby Malaheet area because of intense fighting.
Another political event takes place in Iraq without much mention of women. And in the rare occasion that women are mentioned, it is often with the token spirit about how wonderful it is that they now have 25 percent of political seats in the Iraqi parliament.
Aisha and Mariam both arrived in the Al Mazraq camp in the northern Hajjah region about six months ago, forced to flee their homes in the nearby Malaheet area because of intense fighting.