about the prospects of potential negations with the Taliban and she responded
that “I consider the Taliban my children and would be willing to invite them back
home”. Of course, if such a statement were true, the Taliban would not continue
to kill and stone their own mothers as was the case in Kandahar, Ghazni, Badghis
and Kunduz in recent times. It is this trivialization of groups that not only
ideologically oppose women's rights but openly reject the mere physical presence
of women in the public sphere that is sadly representative for the often gullible
perspectives held by many politicized Afghan women.
In summary, the combination of the premature withdrawal of the international
community, the dubious, covert and non-transparent process of political
negotiations with extremist groups, the resurgence of religious conservative
circles, the unfortunate division and fragmentation among Afghan civil society
groups as well as Afghan women's own shortcomings, present serious
possibilities of a relapse into the past and a repetition of history that will once
again turn back the clock for millions of Afghan women. In order to address these
huge and increasing obstacles to women's political, legislative and legal
participation, the following recommendations are made based on the analysis of
the consultative legislative theatre activities:
A. Policy Recommendations
1. The Afghan government should make all efforts to ensure the human
security of women in the country. Human security includes ensuring a life
free from fear, poverty and threats of all sorts.
2. The Afghan government should ensure the implementation of women's
political rights by developing and enforcing specific policies to increase
women's presence in government agencies as well as senior diplomatic and
political positions.
3. To strengthen women's political participation, the registration of a
political party with the Ministry of Justice should be conditioned on a
substantial percentage of women's membership.
4. To create safeguards and promote women rights, the Afghan government
should appoint qualified women to senior positions of security
institutions, particularly the Ministry of Interior and the National
Directorate of Security.
5. The Afghan government should develop a policy to reserve 50% of senior
positions in the Afghan Supreme Court and the Attorney General office for
women.
6. The Afghan government should provide the necessary opportunities for
women to enjoy their right to higher education, particularly by providing
AHRDO
Afghan Women after the Taliban: Will History Repeat Itself?
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