FAQ: Women & Children
How has life improved for women in Afghanistan?
With the fall of the Taliban, women have been
able to reenter schools and universities. In fact, girls composed
a third of the nearly six million children who returned to school.
Alongside education, Afghan women are also presented with greater
access to healthcare. Male physicians are now allowed to examine
and treat female patients, a practice that was banned under
the Taliban regime.
What is the Government of Afghanistan’s plan for empowering women and protecting women’s rights?
The Afghan government believes that investing in education is also investing in women’s empowerment. It is through education that women become aware of their constitutional rights and gain the necessary skills to compete for jobs, leading them from dependency to equality. However, social change is not a sudden act, but a meticulous, generation-long process. We have the legislative foundation in place, we have women who are active in public and political life, but laws and decrees will be ineffective if they are not combined with enlightened education.
In what ways can women now contribute to Afghan society?
Women can serve as teachers and faculty members
at universities. They are also active in the political sphere,
helping direct policy-making decisions and participating in
the national elections. A quarter of Afghanistan’s parliamentarians
are women. Many Afghan women are being trained and working as
midwives to decrease the amount of childbirth related deaths
in Afghanistan. Furthermore, Afghan women are also successful
entrepreneurs, journalists and police officers. The role of
Afghan women in public life has greatly expanded since the fall
of the Taliban, allowing them to undertake duties that help
advance Afghanistan as a nation.
How has life improved for children in
Afghanistan?
5.6 million boys and girls in Afghanistan now have access to
education. Children in Afghanistan also have better access to
healthcare and are provided with vaccinations as a preventative
measure against illness. Many NGOs in Afghanistan have established
programs to help nourish and educate Afghan children, giving
them not only a better chance for survival but improving the
quality of their lives.
What do Afghan children enjoy as pastimes?
Afghan children like to keep active. Kite
flying is a popular activity in which many Afghan children partake.
Kites are often customized and entered in competitions. Afghan
children also play a variety of games and sports, such as soccer.
