Topic: Violence Against Women
Country: Afghanistan
Delegate Name: Brandon Pham
School: Forest Hills Eastern High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Afghanistan position papers GLIMUN 2018 committees
Fire and blood. Since the dawn of time, the history of the world has been shaped through violence. Wars have been waged, leaders have been assassinated, empires have fallen–all for the development and advancement of civilizations. Violence has been waged upon our enemies, but solely our enemies. The Western world accuses our nation of violence and domestic mistreatment of our women, our own citizens, the bearers of our children, the makers of our meals. The allegations that the country of Afghanistan mistreats their women is the most blasphemous and offensive. In 2009, we signed Afghanistan’s Law on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW), ending the injustice and violence that were being forced upon women.
The glorious nation of Afghanistan, forged through the jihad of my forefathers, will not desecrate or betray the religious morals that our ancestors set out to establish. In fact, we consider ourselves to be quite progressive in our treatment of women and their rights. In 1921, King Amanullah and his wife Soraya vastly improved the women’s role in the house, their access to education, and their ability to vote. The regression of women's’ rights were largely credited to the establishment of radical islamic jihadists, such as the Mujahideen and the Taliban. However, since their destruction in the 21st century, a new government under Hamid Karzai was formed by the United Nations, which includes women’s rights similar to the reign of Amanullah. The United Nations Population Fund of Afghanistan (UNFPA) has led the Afghani population through numerous strides and progressive breakthroughs. Only one year after their establishment, around 1,430 women and girls had the opportunity to discreetly report violence, receive care and be referred to further services through six Family Protection Centres located in health care facilities in Kabul, Nangarhar, Herat, Balkh, Bamiyan and Baghlan. Over 2,500 police recruits have been trained using a manual provided by UNFPA which briefs police officers on eliminating violence against women. In 17 of Afghanistan's 34 provinces, UNFPA has supported the establishment of prevention and response services to support survivors of gender-based violence. Moreover, they are in support of establishing a long term judicial system. UNFPA trained 875 judges and prosecutors from 17 provinces, as well as 850 health staff in six provinces, on responding to gender-based violence.
A holistic approach is needed to combat gender-based violence, one that brings together the sectors and duty-bearers whose understanding and action can influence how survivors are assisted. Religious leaders and communities must be sensitized to the substantial body of evidence that shows how Islam rigorously disapproves of gender-based violence. Health care staff must be aware of referral mechanisms and trained to provide the specialized psychosocial care that survivors need. And the police, as the first point of contact for reporting gender-based violence, must be sensitized to their duty to survivors, and to the need to act on complaints ethically, proactively, and with kindness. This is UN Women’s opportunity to finally assist the Middle East and to help us demonstrate to the world that Islam is truly a religion of peace.
