As Prof. Joana has asked us to post our individual part of the presentation here goes mine:
(I did the introduction part)
Our theme is the situation of women in Afghanistan, mainly concerning them in terms of religion, rights, education and health care.
The present degrading situation was something that the taliban brought. Before that, women were able to have a job, including in universities as academic professors and doctors. This means that women's position in Afghan society was not always as inferior as it is today (or was during the taliban regime).
There are some who argue that Islam has nothing to do with women's inferiority to men or to the way they are treated in those fundamentalist islamic regimes. Quite on the contrary. The Koran has many passages stressing the equality between men and women, and that women should be treated fairly. This following quote stresses equality in terms of spirituality:
"If any do deeds of righteousness-be they male or female and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them." (Sura 4, verse 124 of the Qu'ran)
" Seeking knowledge is a duty of every Muslim, man or woman." (Ayisha Lemu 1978: 25).
This excerpt proves that education is considered fundamental to women also, contrary to what the Taliban imposed.
Islamic Law also forbids the marriage of a woman by force. And although traditionally the parents' opinion is highly important, the last word is always from the man and woman to be married.
There are also some parts more controversial and therefore have led to different interpretations, often fundamentalist ones:
"And women shall have rights similar to rights against them, according to what is equitable. But men have a degree (of advantage) over them. And Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise." (Sura 2 Verse 228 of the Qur'an)
However the point the author makes is that the regime that the Taliban imposed in Afghanistan has nothing to do with the Qu'ran; what they did was to revive some pre-islamic traditions where women were indeed regarded as inferior and had many restrictions.
And so with this I pass the word to my colleague who's going to talk about woman's rights in Afghanistan.
quinta-feira, 18 de junho de 2009
domingo, 29 de março de 2009
Education of Afghan Women
Here's my part of the group assignement:
The vast majority of Afghanistan's population professes to be followers of Islam. Over 1400 years ago, Islam demanded that men and women be equal before God, and gave them various rights such the right to inheritance, the right to vote, the right to work, and even choose their own partners in marriage. For centuries now in Afghanistan, women have been denied these rights either by official government decree or by their own husbands, fathers, and brothers.
· 87 percent of Afghan women are illiterate
· 30 percent of girls have access to education in Afghanistan
http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/2000/0529/afghanistan.womenduction.html
In a tiny private school in Kabul's Shashdarak neighborhood, a few young, dedicated Afghan women are bringing hope to a classroom full of girls. In January, after nine months of lobbying, they won permission from the government to open the doors of Naswan Shashdarak to girls studying in grades one to six. Theirs is a rare success: with the exception of doctors and nurses, Afghan women are still banned from working outside the home, and schooling is prohibited for girls over the age of 12.
The improvised blackboards are closet doors taken from a teacher's home. The children sit on kilims (carpets) laid over the dirt floor. They share old and tattered textbooks. The rusting metal doors of the school compound are kept firmly shut to avoid prying eyes and informers.
Only a few thousand girls--out of a total population of 2 million--are receiving some form of schooling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo6uRwwnFH0
This video shows the answer many men give to their women being educated. For them, a woman should only take care of the house and the family, and no education is needed for that.
If you think anything should be added, feel free to comment on this post.
The vast majority of Afghanistan's population professes to be followers of Islam. Over 1400 years ago, Islam demanded that men and women be equal before God, and gave them various rights such the right to inheritance, the right to vote, the right to work, and even choose their own partners in marriage. For centuries now in Afghanistan, women have been denied these rights either by official government decree or by their own husbands, fathers, and brothers.
· 87 percent of Afghan women are illiterate
· 30 percent of girls have access to education in Afghanistan
http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/2000/0529/afghanistan.womenduction.html
In a tiny private school in Kabul's Shashdarak neighborhood, a few young, dedicated Afghan women are bringing hope to a classroom full of girls. In January, after nine months of lobbying, they won permission from the government to open the doors of Naswan Shashdarak to girls studying in grades one to six. Theirs is a rare success: with the exception of doctors and nurses, Afghan women are still banned from working outside the home, and schooling is prohibited for girls over the age of 12.
The improvised blackboards are closet doors taken from a teacher's home. The children sit on kilims (carpets) laid over the dirt floor. They share old and tattered textbooks. The rusting metal doors of the school compound are kept firmly shut to avoid prying eyes and informers.
Only a few thousand girls--out of a total population of 2 million--are receiving some form of schooling.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lo6uRwwnFH0
This video shows the answer many men give to their women being educated. For them, a woman should only take care of the house and the family, and no education is needed for that.
If you think anything should be added, feel free to comment on this post.
quinta-feira, 26 de março de 2009
Afghan girl
You might remember this enigmatic face from several articles featured in the National Geographic, this girl appeared in the 1985 cover and since then there has been a great interest in the story behind the face. In 2002 the photographer that took this picture, Steve McCurry, together with a crew from the National Geographic went looking for her in the old refugee camp in Pakistan where he had first seen her. After several days of searching he finally found her whereabouts and organized an meeting. Her name is Sharbat Gula and she is Pashtun(ancient afghan tribe), behind her there's a story of war and lost. She became an orphan when she was only 6 years old due to the invasion of the Soviets, which left a path of destruction and death on it's wake. She and what was left of her family were forced to leave Afghanistan in search of a safer place to live, like many other Afghans. They had to endure extremly trying situations during their escape from Afghanistan and in the refugee camp, where they found "protection" later on, things were'nt easy either.
Sharbat Gula was 13 years old (approximately) at the time this picture was taken, 17 years later when McCurry and the National Geographic crew found her, you could easily see that life hadn't been easy on her. Though many years had gone by the countries problems were still serious.
In 1990, she went back to Afghanistan with a husband and there she now lives a calm life. The only thing she wishes was she had had a better education but as it is to late for her she wishes her daugthers could have the opportunities she did'nt had.
In an acknowledgement of her wish the National Geographic Society created the Afghan girl's fund ,now known as the Afghan children's fund, to help young Afghan girls to get a proper education.
There's of course a lot more to her story if you're interested you can go to:
Afhgan Women: Health Care
Islam in theory, has given men and women equal rights in every aspects of life. In Afghanistan, perhaps the only thing more dangerous than being a woman is being a pregnant woman in need of medical care. A 2002 survey counted 1,600 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The cause of death was most often hemorrhaging or obstructed delivery, both preventable if skilled health care is available. When the Taliban claimed the capital of Kabul in 1996, Afghan women confronted impossible odds to survive in a culture that limited their freedom, banned their education, forced them into marriage and provided only conditional access to health care.
The crisis in reproductive health care is the leading cause of maternal mortality and reflects a destructive chain reaction that begins for Afghan women at a dangerously early age. A 2004 study showed that most Afghan women were forced into marriage before they were 16, with some as young as nine. The consequences are steep, impacting the young girl’s physical development and general health as well as her chances for education. Pregnant women must cope with poor nutrition and scarcity of food in Afghanistan. Weakened by malnutrition, they are vulnerable to anemia while lactating, and this puts their bodies at higher risk for hemorrhaging. Vitamin deficiencies lead to scurvy, while iodine deficiencies cause goiters in mothers and a thyroid condition called cretinism in their babies.
Underlying these challenges is the fact that few Afghan women know how to recognize danger signs during pregnancy. For those who do, lack of money and transportation make getting to a hospital all but impossible. If she does manage to recognize the signs, acquire transportation, survive the broken roads and reach a hospital, the care and facilities a pregnant woman would find would almost certainly be inadequate, if not downright dangerous.
Physician Care
Access to skilled physicians who know about obstetrics and gynecology is no easy matter in Afghanistan. Under the Taliban, men were not allowed to treat women under any circumstances, and some men believed it was better to have their wives die than have a male doctor treat them. Unfortunately there was no alternative, as women were banned from learning medicine or working. The problem persists, even though by 2000 the Taliban had begun to allow men to treat women. Meanwhile, a generation of Afghan women has fallen so far behind academically that it is difficult to find capable female candidates to learn medicine in the villages. One successful effort has been to offer a vaccination program through UNICEF that is administered by women who can enter houses, see mothers and children themselves, and provide vaccinations and care.
Path to Progress
There is no question that Afghanistan’s health care infrastructure lay in ruins after the Taliban was removed, and it has only incrementally been improving since. In 2002, of the few medical facilities that had toilets, most were hazardous pit latrines. A quarter of those facilities had electricity, half of which depended on generators. Patient transport systems relied on bicycles and horses or were nonexistent. In 2002, two thirds of Afghanistan's clinics could not provide basic reproductive health services and only 10 percent were equipped to perform Caesarian sections. Of the 25 percent of children who died before turning five, nearly half died from preventable causes such as diarrhea or respiratory infections.
Islam in theory, has given men and women equal rights in every aspects of life. In Afghanistan, perhaps the only thing more dangerous than being a woman is being a pregnant woman in need of medical care. A 2002 survey counted 1,600 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The cause of death was most often hemorrhaging or obstructed delivery, both preventable if skilled health care is available. When the Taliban claimed the capital of Kabul in 1996, Afghan women confronted impossible odds to survive in a culture that limited their freedom, banned their education, forced them into marriage and provided only conditional access to health care.
The crisis in reproductive health care is the leading cause of maternal mortality and reflects a destructive chain reaction that begins for Afghan women at a dangerously early age. A 2004 study showed that most Afghan women were forced into marriage before they were 16, with some as young as nine. The consequences are steep, impacting the young girl’s physical development and general health as well as her chances for education. Pregnant women must cope with poor nutrition and scarcity of food in Afghanistan. Weakened by malnutrition, they are vulnerable to anemia while lactating, and this puts their bodies at higher risk for hemorrhaging. Vitamin deficiencies lead to scurvy, while iodine deficiencies cause goiters in mothers and a thyroid condition called cretinism in their babies.
Underlying these challenges is the fact that few Afghan women know how to recognize danger signs during pregnancy. For those who do, lack of money and transportation make getting to a hospital all but impossible. If she does manage to recognize the signs, acquire transportation, survive the broken roads and reach a hospital, the care and facilities a pregnant woman would find would almost certainly be inadequate, if not downright dangerous.
Physician Care
Access to skilled physicians who know about obstetrics and gynecology is no easy matter in Afghanistan. Under the Taliban, men were not allowed to treat women under any circumstances, and some men believed it was better to have their wives die than have a male doctor treat them. Unfortunately there was no alternative, as women were banned from learning medicine or working. The problem persists, even though by 2000 the Taliban had begun to allow men to treat women. Meanwhile, a generation of Afghan women has fallen so far behind academically that it is difficult to find capable female candidates to learn medicine in the villages. One successful effort has been to offer a vaccination program through UNICEF that is administered by women who can enter houses, see mothers and children themselves, and provide vaccinations and care.
Path to Progress
There is no question that Afghanistan’s health care infrastructure lay in ruins after the Taliban was removed, and it has only incrementally been improving since. In 2002, of the few medical facilities that had toilets, most were hazardous pit latrines. A quarter of those facilities had electricity, half of which depended on generators. Patient transport systems relied on bicycles and horses or were nonexistent. In 2002, two thirds of Afghanistan's clinics could not provide basic reproductive health services and only 10 percent were equipped to perform Caesarian sections. Of the 25 percent of children who died before turning five, nearly half died from preventable causes such as diarrhea or respiratory infections.
terça-feira, 24 de março de 2009
http://www.afghan-web.com/articles/womenrights.html
Here is a link to an article I found about Islam. The author stresses that the Koran, and ultimately the Islamism, is not the responsible for the submission of women, quite on the contrary. He argues that the message in Koran is one of equality.
I'm going to mention the article in my part of the presentation but only lightly.
If anyone wishes to include in theirs...
Here is a link to an article I found about Islam. The author stresses that the Koran, and ultimately the Islamism, is not the responsible for the submission of women, quite on the contrary. He argues that the message in Koran is one of equality.
I'm going to mention the article in my part of the presentation but only lightly.
If anyone wishes to include in theirs...
domingo, 22 de março de 2009
Subscrever:
Mensagens (Atom)