RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan) has been fighting for 30 years in defense of women's rights and for a secular and democratic state, free of fundamentalism.
Rawa's founder, Meena, was assassinated in 1987 by Afghan agents of the KGB. Since then, the fate democratic opponents of the regime has not changed. Today, RAWA is still forced to work clandestinely, with serious risks to the lives of activists. RAW is active in both social and political projects. Activists perform many social activities in the fields of education, health care, providing microcredits for women's craft projects, while continuing to denounce the violence and the violations of human rights, reported on the site www.rawa.org that has been created by self-taught women.
After the last 8 years of "war on terrorism" with thousands of dead - the most part civilians - the situation in Afghanistan has worsened. 80% of the population live in poverty. Social reconstruction has not happened. Production of opium has increased, and now represents 93% of world production.
Conditions have not improved for Afghan women. On the contrary, the number of abductions, rapes, selling of daughters, forced marriages, prostitution, and suicide have reached unprecedented levels.
Everything is forbidden to women (studying, employment, going out alone) in spite of the fact that the new Afghan consitution recognises equal rights for men and women since 2004.
The Italian Women in Black have been supporting the Afghan women of RAWA since 1999 with direct relations, visits, meetings, and support for funding campaigns. In 2004 the Italian Coordination in Support of Afghan Women (CISDA) was formed on the initiative of the Women in Black, womens organisations, and individual women. It promotes international cooperation projects in favour of Afghan women.
This month, CISDA organised a series of initiatives with Mehmooda, a RAWA activist, in several Italian cities. In Ravenna, the Women in Black Organised two meetings to make afghan women's voices heard
Interview with Mehmooda
In December, at the request of the Legislative Assembly of the Marche region, on the occasion of the founding of the association "Peace University", the Women in Black of Fano invitied RAWA activist Zoya to bring her testimony.
Here are some of the points of Zoya's speech that impressed us all very deeply.
8 years ago, Afghanistan was occupied for three motives: liberation of women, establishment of a democracy, and war on terrorism. After 8 years, after troops from 42 countries have intervened militarily in Afghanistan, after billions of dollars have been spent, these three "aims" have not been realised. | |
| Liberation for women | Domestic violence, rape, abduction - all these crimes remain unpunished, because often those who commit them are linked to those in power, including those close to the government and to the forces of law and order. In the west, it's said that we've been liberated, that the obligation to wear the burqa has been removed, that the law allows us to go to school. but many girls are attacked and acid is thrown in their faces, so they don't go to school and they put the burqa back on. The burqa has only disappeared in Kabul and only among women from the elite sectors. Women are very poor and hungry. There are families that are forced to sell their daughters for 400 dollars. We are told that so much money is arriving, but wear has it ended up? Because of government corruption, it goes to drug traffickers. In all this, what remains for the women? Only suicide! And unfortunately, it seems to be becoming a fashion among young women. |
| Democracy | It's not RAWA, but the UN who have said that the elections in Afganistan were fraudulent. There is no freedom of speech. Independent journalists have a very difficult life. Some are even killed. RAWA, for example, cannot speak openly. The democratic voices in parliament that denounced war crimes have been expelled. |
| War on terrorism | After 8 years and billions of dollars, 80% of Afghanistan is under Taleban control. At the beginning we were optimistic about the western intervention, but then we understood that western forces were making comprises and supporting fundamentalist groups. |
Voices of Afghan women
Zoya's Story
Raising My Voice: Malalai Joya
