Shukria Barakzai: “It is very important to create a network to lobby for women’s interests”

Ms. Shukria Barakzai is a parliamentarian and a women’s rights activist in Afghanistan. After she was beaten on the streets of Kabul by the Taliban militants for being outdoors without a man, she began fighting for women’s rights. She founded Aina-E-Zan (“Women’s Mirror”), a national weekly newspaper which informs women in Afghanistan about recent developments in health care, education and civil society. Mr. Barakzai is an outspoken critic of child marriages, forced marriages and domestic violence towards women. In 2003 she was appointed a member of loya jirga, a representative body convened to discuss the constitution of Afghanistan. In 2004 she was elected to the Lower House of the Afghanistan Parliament. Her outstanding public service has also received recognition outside Afghanistan. She was named the International Editor of the Year by the World Press Review in 2004 and a Woman of the Year by the BBC radio program Woman’s Hour.

PN: How would you assess the results of the Kabul conference?

SB: I have to say that there are two main achievements of the Kabul conference. First of all, having such a conference, and having therefore an opportunity to discuss the peace process, women’s and human rights, is a great success. Nine years ago it was a dream for us to reach this point. The second thing is that I was really surprised and happy when all the men and high officials and Secretary Hilary Clinton argued that women should not be victimized any more. The reconciliation process should not compromise women’s rights. And the fact that the issue of female empowerment was raised by so many participants is a positive development, as well. I think that the Open Letter also contributed to raising awareness for the problems of women in Afghanistan. This wouldn’t be possible without the Open Letter. It was a wake-up call for everyone to at least include the women’s issues on the agenda.

But, to be honest, I was also waiting to hear one specific thing: commitment on behalf of the international community to allocate part of the development aid to Afghanistan for women health care facilities, women education and entrepreneurship. I was waiting for the international community to get across this message but it did not happen. I am afraid that women’s and human rights are still given lip service.

There was also a meeting with Hilary Clinton, attended by female civil society activist, where women shared their concerns for security. But we need visible changes. And I am sure that with small steps we can achieve a lot.

PN: What would be your recommendations to the international community in order to support women parliamentarians in Afghanistan? You mentioned an open commitment that the rights of women will not be neglected during the current negotiations. What else you think the international community should do for women in Afghanistan?

SB: It was very clearly mentioned by Hillary Clinton that the reconciliation process should not infringe upon the democratic developments. The Afghan government has also pledged that the Constitution won’t be affected. On the other hand, if we look at how things are in practice, the picture is completely different. To be a female MP in Afghanistan means to have a lot of problems. There is an international support for Afghanistan but this support almost always focuses on the security issues. They can’t see beyond the narrow security agenda and work on other problems. Of course, addressing the security threats is very important, but we should not neglect other development problems. It’s very important to create a network to lobby for women’s interests.  Talking about female MPs is just the tip of the iceberg, because it only concerns the political rights of women, their political participation. But we should not forget about women in private sector, which are not involved in politics but whose rights are violated, too. We should think about the social life of women. These problems should be addressed altogether.

PN: You’ve been a MP for 6 years. What problems do female MPs face?

SB: There are female MPs from all over the country, with different backgrounds and different experiences. It is difficult for them to get organized in one group, because some of them came to power thanks to the support they have from men and it is therefore hard for them to have an independent voice and talk about some sensitive issues. And I would really like to particularly dwell on this issue as some female MPs were granted seats due to the financial and political support of men, drug leaders and warlords.  There is yet another category of women who do not have any idea about women’s rights because they still believe that they are the second class citizens. And finally there is a third category of women who are really committed to the women’s rights and try to raise some sensitive issues in the Parliament. Consequently, the lack of unity among the female MPs, the lack of vision for the future of Afghan women, the lack of support from the government – these are the problems that we face. And, unfortunately, the lack of respect from our male colleagues. It is one of the signs of discrimination. . But being a female MP is as complicated as becoming a one. Being a female candidate for the Parliament means overcoming a number of obstacles. Firstly, elections have become a too costly endeavor in Afghanistan. Influential people from the private sector are trying to step into politics. They have enough money to sponsor their own candidates and they are trying to buy votes. So they have enough money to lobby for their interests. Secondly, a lot of people in the government are very conservative and they do not want liberal democrat women in the Parliament. They want conservative women there thus they’re providing assistance to candidates from their own network. The lack of physical security is yet another challenge for women running for the Parliament, because some parts of the country are not accessible for the female candidates. Some areas are still under control of Taliban and Taliban is even against posters with women - let alone women campaigning for elections. Women can neither go there alone nor talk to the voters there.

PN: Do you feel that the situation has improved for female candidates, compared to the previous elections?

SB: No, the situation has not improved since then. Actually it’s getting worse. 

PN: How can the Parliamentarians Network support Afghan women running for elections?

SB: The best way for members of the Network from different countries is to ask their own governments to provide facilities and support for female candidates. If they can’t provide a financial support, it’s ok. But at least they can provide some safety facilities (for instance, bodyguards) and political support to prevent the officials in Afghanistan from abusing their power against women in the Parliament.