Afghan women: Still a long way to go
Geneva, December 10, 2008 - Women in Afghanistan continue to face obstacles to equal dignity and rights as full human beings. A new CARE briefing paper details the challenges women face and how discrimination against them limits development in the struggling country. Staggering statistics show that women live shorter lives, are less-educated, and have little say in the world around them.
Afghan women have a life expectancy of 44 years, 20 years less than the global average. The paper cites the "unusually harsh realities for women in Afghanistan" as the reason for the short life span. Underage marriage, an average 6.6 children per woman, one maternal death every 30 minutes, and lack of access to health facilities are some of the reasons women die young in Afghanistan. More than half of all brides are under 16, and domestic violence is so common (yet under-reported) that 87 percent of women admit to experiencing it.
While progress has been made since the fall of the Taliban, women still struggle to see their rights fulfilled. Literacy rates among young Afghan women are disturbingly low: only 18 percent of women between ages 15 and 24 can read. While the total number of children enrolled in primary schools is increasing tremendously, the percentage of female students is not. Girls and women get less and poorer quality food than males, they lose out on inheritance and are approximately three times less economically well off than men.
Although women's rights are accounted for in the legal framework of Afghanistan's government, the gap between policy and practice is wide. Cultural traditions that harm women are common and continue to persist, despite new legislation that attempts to curb such practices. Until women are fully-integrated into decision-making and are granted equal access to justice in the country, violations of their rights will persist. A number of CARE projects are designed to help women overcome these challenges, but stronger government action is needed to translate policy into practice.
About CARE: CARE is one of the world's largest independent aid organizations providing emergency relief and development projects in nearly 70 countries around the world. CARE has been working in Afghanistan since 1961 and is working to rebuild the country while focusing on empowering women.
Media Contact: Melanie Brooks, brooks@careinternational.org This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ; mobile +41.795.903.047