Free Women Writers founder Noorjahan Akbar had the chance to speak about women and peace-building and our work at the One Young World Summit in Bogotá, Colombia. At the summit, we advocated for the meaningful participation of Afghan women in peace-building process in Afghanistan. Read Noorjahan’s speech below or watch below.
“I was 40 days old when civil war broke out in Kabul, Afghanistan. My family gathered the basic essentials and we moved to the north of the country. It wasn’t the first or the last time my family would be uprooted by violence. Later, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, we had to move again and lived as refugees in Pakistan for years.
My family’s story is not at all extraordinary. Millions of Afghans have had to leave their loved ones, friends, and networks of support because of war and conflict. Today, tens of thousands of Afghans are stuck between returning to Afghanistan where they could lose their lives in suicide attacks or airstrikes, and staying in countries where they are not welcomed.
War has destroyed the fabric of society in Afghanistan and normalized violence beyond the battlefield. Women bear the brunt of this violence. Time and time again, women’s bodies have been used as battlefields. During the war against the Soviet Union, 70% of girls’ schools were burned, school girls and university women were kidnapped and raped in unprecedented numbers, women’s bodies were mutilated, their breasts were cut off, and they were forced into prostitution.
The Mujahidin believed that that urban women who had ventured out of the house for jobs or education were no longer Muslims so their bodies were fair game. Later, the Taliban instituted draconian laws to control women’s bodies and lives. From our nail polish, to the length of our pants were scrutinized and we faced violence for towing the rigid lines in any way. We were not allowed to be outside the house without a male companion. A friend of mine was devastated that she was allowed to go outside with her 6-month old son, but not by herself. “I have fewer rights than this thing that I gave birth to,” She would say. Even today, an important driver of the ideological battle against the Taliban is their archaic views about women.
A recent report showed that in order to make peace, Taliban have specific demands- not surprisingly, their demands would curtail women’s political and social participation significantly. The Taliban and their allies continue attacking girls’ schools, teachers, women’s rights activists, and anyone else who dares to speak up.
It would be naïve to believe that state and terrorists’ violence against women doesn’t seep into the homes. After more than five decades of conflict where women’s bodies have been the battlefield, it is a sad, but unsurprising reality, that 87% of Afghan women face violence at home. I lead a collective of Afghan women writers, called Free Women Writers. More than 130 women have contributed to our books and online platforms and nearly every woman has written about gender-based violence, at home and outside.
When we talk about making peace sustainable, we have to pay attention to the gendered experience of conflict. Whether it is in the stories of ISIS fighters or mass shooters in the U.S., it is also becoming clearer that those who contribute to violence in society are first and foremost violent towards the women in their families. Research shows that when women are involved in negotiations, peace is 30% more likely to last.
For peace to become a reality, women’s voices must be an integral part of peace-building, at home and at the nation state. From the home to the heart of government.”