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Women in Afghanistan Reclaim Their Rights

February 21, 2002. Silver Spring, MD…Following the fall of the Taliban regime, women in Afghanistan have begun reclaiming their rights, according to a United Nations report, February 19, which urges international support for measures to support gender equality in the war-torn nation.

The report paints a sad picture of discrimination against women and girls that have occurred over the past decades. The Islamic Taliban movement seized most of the country after displacing the previous Afghan government in September 1996. Prior to that, Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union in 1979. In addition to the continuing civil strife, the country suffers from enormous poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and widespread land mines. The issue of discrimination against women and girls will be addressed at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women in New York in March.

Besides massive abuses that took place during the civil war and the Taliban regime, Afghanistan's maternal mortality rate holds a staggering second in the world; 147.02 deaths/1,000 live births. During the Taliban rule, a survey conducted by human rights physicians reported that 63-87 percent of women who were interviewed described their physical and mental health as "fair" or "poor."

Since the fall of the Taliban, however, Afghan women have participated in conferences, panel discussions and international meetings. A recent meeting of Afghan women took place in Germany last Fall when participants vowed to actively rebuild their communities.

"We, from the Department of Women's Ministries, are delighted that the women in Afghanistan now have the opportunity for self-determination, something they did not have before. It is our prayer that they will find fulfillment, health and well-being for themselves and their families in freedom, and that they will protect their freedom in all areas carefully: religion, health, education, economic, leadership and family," commented Ardis Stenbakken, director for the Department of Women's Ministries for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The Adventist Church has attended meetings at the U.S. Department of State on the role of religious organizations in the rebuilding of civil society in Afghanistan and is committed to working towards this end. [Viola Hughes]

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