VOICES FROM AFGHANISTAN:Youths open up about women's status and empowerment
To better understand Afghan youths' vision for their country, the
Chemonics gender team on USAID's Regional Afghan Municipalities
Program for Urban Populations engaged hundreds of young men
and women in conversations about local governance and women's
empowerment. In these conversations, young people across
Afghanistan opened up about women's status and what they
believe needs to be done to empower women. This slideshow
highlights a few of the themes that emerged in these candid
conversations.
Together, they reveal a hunger for change among the next generation of Afghans.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT“The community elders say that women have no rights. I do not accept this − I want to make progress so that I can serve my country.”
— 25-year-old female, Kandahar
EQUAL ACCESS TO EDUCATION“We can bring improvements to our society when we are educated to do so.”
— 20-year-old female, Qalat
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES“I plan to work outside the home if there are the facilities to do so and security is guaranteed. If women work, society’s economic problems can be solved and we will help develop the country.”
— 17-year-old female, Qalat
OPPORTUNITIES FOR CIVIL ENGAGEMENT“I need to cooperate with the government and be involved in activities. But first I need to be invited to participate.”— 17-year-old female, Zaranj
ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN“We need to improve conditions in general and focus on addressing violence against women − especially those women who are being abused and kept inside the house.”
— 20-year-old male, Nili
WOMEN’S RIGHTS UNDER THE LAW“The law should be equally applied to men and women. There is a lot of corruption and so the law is not equally applied and this impedes development. The municipality should improve its relationship with citizens by enforcing the law.”
— 18-year-old female, Zaranj
For more information and stories about women’s experiences in
development, visit www.chemonics.com.
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