On being female in Afghanistan
posted: Aug 5, 01:04 AM
Afghanistan. Being female in Afghanistan is not easy nor is it without risk. The Taliban’s rise to power made being female in Afghanistan an exercise in survival. Now, with the Taliban officially a “thing” of the past, but still exerting their influence, girls and women live lives we can only imagine.
As a woman, and as the mother of a female child, I believe it is important to remember that challenging as we may find our lives to be we have many rights. These rights include access to an education; to vote without risk; to work in careers once considered to be traditionally male occupations; to show our faces and to decide who and when we will marry. In other words, we have civil and social rights.
I also believe it is important to recognize the courage of the members the Canadian Military who are supporting the people of Afghanistan as they work towards rebuilding a “stable, democratic and self -sufficient society”. There are many families who worry on a daily basis about the safety of these men and women.