Afghanistan determined to improve women's status

Videos
Photos

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-03-08 17:10

KABUL -- Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that his administration is determined to improve the status of women in the post-Taliban country.

"Like yester years I once again call on the religious scholars, elders and influential figures to fight against traditions that irritate women and violate their rights," he told an audience of hundreds of women and men gathered to mark International Women Day.

He said that forced marriage, underage marriage, selling girls and forcibly giving hand of a girl to a man to settle tribal enmity are against Islam and against the constitution and must be checked.

In the war-torn Afghanistan where the literacy rate is low and tribalism rules in many parts of this land, women have little say in choosing their life partners.

Women status has been considerably improved since the collapse of Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

Taliban hierarchy had banned girls from going to school and confined women to their houses. However, in today's Afghanistan 35 percent out of some 7 million school children are girls. Afghan women in the post-Taliban country are involved in political, economic and social activities.

President Karzai also called on women to play their role in electing the country's next president through voting to be held on August 20.

Speaking on the occasion, Afghan Minister for Women Affairs Husn Bano Ghazanfar expressed satisfaction over achievement made for improving women rights in the conservative society.

She said that women in the post-Taliban country today run businesses, teach at schools and serve as legislators.

The minister added that a National Working Plan to further improve women's status is underway in order to enable them to play their due role in development of the war-ravaged country.