The Joined by War: Women’s Rights in Today’s Afghanistan broadcast focused on how Afghan women continue to be affected by the decade-long war. As the United States seeks to drawdown troops from Afghanistan in July 2011, it remains to be seen how the status of women’s rights in Afghanistan will be affected. The audience members and two panelists, Sima Samir (Chair, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission) and Safia Sidiqi (women's rights activist and former Afghan parliament member), reiterate that they want participation in the peace processes, not just protection from the Taliban.

The broadcast made it clear that Afghan women desire to be empowered and included in developing a sustainable peace in Afghanistan. Peace is not merely the absence of war, but must include transitional justice for those most affected by war – women and children. As such, Afghan women participating in the town hall meeting indicated that they want to be part of reconciliation and reintegration programs that provide them with greater educational, political, and economic opportunities.

During the broadcast, Afghan women emphasized that military intervention alone will not provide peace and stability. For a lasting peace to take root in Afghanistan, support for development, health, and educational programs must be provided.

Joined by War will broadcast in Afghanistan on Radio Killid and will air on WAMU 88.5 FM and public radio stations across the U.S. on Wednesday, May 4 at 1pm ET and 9pm ET. For more information about the broadcast, click here.

WAND Field Coordinator Elaina Ramsey was present at the town hall meeting and wrote a blog posting of her reflections. You can find her blog posting on the WAND Action Center blog section, or by clicking here.

More Resources:

• "Afghan Women Speak" report by David Cortright and Sarah Smiles Persinger, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies
• “Women in Afghanistan” hearing, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Tuesday, May 3 at 10am in the Cannon House Office Building
• WAND’s Official Statement on Afghanistan

For Immediate Release

"As we approach the planned drawdown of military forces beginning in July 2011, it is clear that large majorities of the American people have endorsed a new way forward in Afghanistan. According to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll, nearly two-thirds of Americans now say the war is no longer worth fighting and three-quarters of Americans believe that the President should withdraw a “substantial number” of combat troops this summer.

The American people understand that our country’s fiscal state renders the continued funding of a war that costs over $2 billion a week unsustainable. A substantial withdrawal of troops later this year will go a long way towards rebalancing our domestic and overseas priorities and reduce government spending by billions of dollars.

Despite the assurances offered by General Petraeus this week, we believe that our status quo, military-first strategy is not achieving its promised results. The rampant corruption present in the Karzai government and contractor community has made establishing a central government capable of administering effective governance all but impossible. Additionally, the record number of civilian deaths this past year, including the large number of targeted killings of government officials, suggest that the population is not being secured. If you can’t protect the population or establish a government people can believe in, you can’t win a counterinsurgency.

We are at a moment where the needs of the American people and the needs on the ground in Afghanistan have clearly converged. A swift withdrawal of troops beginning no later than July will stabilize Afghanistan by ending an unpopular occupation, allow us to focus on political reconciliation with local and regional stakeholders, improve our country’s flexibility to respond to more immediate and pressing national security challenges, and improve our fiscal and economic situation at home."

#03-16-2011#