EurAsia Bulletin Magazine, The Spirit of the Taliban Remains in Afghanistan

The journey was “full of adventures, full of knowledge,” as Kavafis would say. A six-member team of women MEPs (Lissy Groner, Fiorella Ghilardotti, Marie-Helene Gillig, Genevieve Fraise, and I) set off on the last day of October, for a week-long visit to Afghanistan, the country that had so shaken the entire world over the past year. “A crazy undertaking,” many said. It was the first time a European Parliament delegation had visited the country, but any doubts were set aside in the face of the goal: to express the European Parliament’s unwavering support and solidarity with the Afghan people and to ensure that the country’s reconstruction would include specific measures to improve the status of women.

We met with the President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, who is trying to rebuild his country, but faces enormous difficulties, as in reality, he only controls Kabul. We also met with the former king and now Father of the Nation, Zaher Shah, the Ministers of Health, Education, Foreign Affairs, Women’s Affairs, Interior, Finance, and Justice, as well as Sima Samar, the Chair of the Human Rights Commission, and many non-governmental organizations. We visited areas where European programs are being implemented, both in the capital Kabul and in rural areas. Although there were hopeful signs, such as the release of 20 women convicted of adultery the day after our visit to the Ministry of Interior, the common realization was that nothing substantial has changed for the women of Afghanistan.

The experience was unique. We found ourselves in a Third World country with very low economic and social development. Afghanistan is not a well-structured state with a strong central government. The laws do not apply, there is no order, there is nothing. The images convinced you that there will be very significant difficulties in developing the country economically and socially. The houses were shacks, the sanitary conditions were nonexistent, and the roads were dirt paths. Public baths, destroyed by the Taliban, are being renovated with European Union funds so that people can wash. The market was in a terrible state with very few goods available, and there were many children begging in the streets. There are only a few hospitals, and Kabul has those that were built by humanitarian organizations, but in rural areas, there is almost nothing. 99% of women give birth without medical assistance, and maternal mortality is among the highest in the world — that is, one woman dies during childbirth every half hour!

The situation of women remains tragic on all levels and aspects of life. The “blue ghosts,” the women who wear their blue burqa, continue to roam the streets of Kabul, as few dare to remove it and risk their lives. The Taliban may have lost power, but their spirit is ever-present. Women serve as a means to resolve property disputes, meaning they are exchanged between opposing families, and forced marriages are on the daily agenda. Girls as young as 10 are sold by their families to whoever offers the most money, usually elderly men. If these girls manage to escape, they face imprisonment and exemplary punishments. Abandoning the marital home and adultery are considered crimes of sedition in Afghanistan.

In the city of Bamiyan, where the Taliban destroyed the Buddha statues, during a meeting with the women’s organizations forum, we found that these women were speaking publicly for the first time. They were ashamed even to say their names, and they constantly hid their faces. The women confessed that they suffer from abuse, rape, etc., honor crimes are on the daily agenda, women’s lives have no value, and the perpetrators are usually left unpunished.

The biggest positive change that has occurred under the Karzai government is that parents now allow their daughters to receive an education. However, even in this area, there are difficulties. The Taliban are still active as we know them, even appearing on television. Accordingly, they react to the education of women. A few weeks ago, they threw explosive pens into schoolyards, resulting in female students being mutilated or killed. These attacks are incited by local mullahs, who do not want women to be educated. Hesitant, but significant, steps are being taken regarding women’s right to work. But are they enough?

The shocking experience convinced us that the women of Afghanistan, beyond humanitarian initiatives, need the path to real political action to be opened. For this reason, it is necessary:

The constitution under formation must specifically address the rights of women and provide the necessary legal framework for combating gender-based discrimination.
Specific government measures must be implemented, particularly in the fields of Education and Health.
A Council of Afghan Women should be created, which will connect government members with members of organizations dealing with women’s issues.
A European Fund for the Women of Afghanistan should be created. My proposal to the Greek Presidency is to take the initiative to launch the relevant procedures as soon as possible.

These proposals are only the beginning. Whatever we do at this stage will not be enough for these women who are still subjected to unspeakable humiliations. The message they send to the Western world is: “We want peace; peace and not war.” However, for this peace to be achieved, that is, for a culture of violence to be transformed into a culture of peace, women must be able to participate equally in the decision-making processes and in the shaping of the new constitution of their country.

THE SPIRIT OF THE TALIBAN REMAINS IN AFGHANISTAN
Article by Anna KARAMANOU, MEP of PASOK, President of the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality of the European Parliament	11-12/ 2002