Afghanistan’s women want peace but it shouldn’t cost them their rights

The US succeeded in toppling the Taliban's de facto regime, however it has utterly failed to ensure a due share to Afghan women in the new setup and decision-making process.

After introducing a blend of Western and tribal forms of government, the international community has funneled millions of dollars into the war-ravaged country with the aim of changing the lifestyle of Afghans, particularly women. However, there is no sign of any improvement in the lives of women.

The situation on the ground presents a grim picture. Girls and women are treated like commodities, sold at a fixed rate and treated as objects solely for pleasure and breeding. 

However, at a point when the social and political tide is not in favor of women, rights groups and activists have been stressing the broader role women should play in the "Afghan-owned" reconciliation process since the Taliban have broken the ice and showed a willingness to resume the peace dialogues. But as usual, the calls were not taken seriously. 
It is hard to see how women could become part of the High Peace Council (HPC), a body that establishes contact with the insurgents and engages them in reconciliation process. The number of women in government offices is abysmally low. In the country's judicial system and the HPC, women are barely represented.

Pushing the Afghan government to allocate more slots for women in the HPC and the Taliban to accept them is futile. When the elected leaders could not fulfill their promises regarding ending violence against women and hiring female judges, how can we expect women to be able to sit with the insurgent groups at the negotiating table? 

There is no missing the fact that promises regarding female empowerment have not been fulfilled and their misery will continue unabated; unless words are translated into actions. In such a situation, seeking roles for women in the reconciliation process is just daydreaming. 

President Ashraf Ghani and the Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah in their election campaigns vowed to induct at least four women in the cabinet. 

That's why the turnout was high in the 2014 presidential elections. Around 40 percent of voters were female. 

Nonetheless, it seems that they have changed their minds now. The two leaders have not even succeeded in replicating former president Hamid Karzai's legacy. During Karzai's tenure, there were three women ministers and a female governor. 

Not  only inattention from the government, but wide-scale nepotism and untold worries are also hampering women's entry into the political process. 

All signs indicate that the government is cautious about the peace talks and does not want to go back to square one once again because the insurgents are against the presence of women in the public sphere. The Taliban during their de facto rule lashed women for going outside of home without male companions. The doors of schools were closed for girls. Even after over 13 years, there is no visible change in the Taliban's policy toward girls and women.

Looking at the overall situation, it is clear that women will not be part of the peace process but what really matters most is whether their rights will be protected in the bargaining process. 

If they were restricted to their homes once again, then peace is meaningless. The government should not compromise over rights of women and minorities. 

Before reaching an agreement with the Taliban, the government should consult all segments of society, particularly women, who are the worst victims of the insurgency. Without a guarantee of the protection of women's rights, the process would end up nowhere.