Afghanistan: Women included into Afghan delegation to Bonn

Women Living Under Muslim Laws welcomes the recent decision to include women delegates in the Afghan delegation to Bonn: 13 women will now attend and participate in this meeting. Now that women have finally been included, we second the call from the Afghan Women’s Network and demand that the relevant parties ensure that women’s voices are heard; a demilitarised peace process shaped by civil society is pursued; and the security of women activists is guaranteed. Although we are encouraged by women’s inclusion, we are also wary; nothing has been determined yet and women’s rights and the safety of women’s activists are still at risk in Afghanistan. We wait anxiously for the decisions of this conference, and hope that the women delegates are heard, their recommendations incorporated, and their impact felt.