New Report and WAND Summary: “Afghan Women Speak: Enhancing Security and Human Rights in Afghanistan”

A new report from Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies reflects the voices of Afghan women leaders, including parliamentarians, activists, school principals, health workers, and members of the police force and army to insist that they must be part of the nation's peace process. “Afghan Women Speak:  Enhancing Security and Human Rights in Afghanistan” draws on more than 50 interviews conducted in Afghanistan and the U.S.

Report co-authors David Cortright, Director of Policy Studies, and Research Associate Sarah Smiles Persinger, also interviewed U.S. State Department officials, staff members of international aid organizations, and U.S. military commanders and staff.

While the majority of the women interviewed supported a negotiated end to the war, they also expressed concerns that their interests may be sacrificed in a peace deal, according to the authors. The report highlights the concerns of Afghan women, assesses international efforts to empower women since 2001, and analyzes the security situation in Afghanistan and its impact on women. It concludes with recommendations for Western policymakers on ways to protect women’s gains while pursuing political solutions to the conflict.

This research was funded in part by the Dutch development agency Cordaid.

• Read the full report  here.
• Read a focus summary of the report here.
• Read WAND's summary of the report Afghan Women Speak Summary