According to a US watchdog report released on Sunday, women in Afghanistan are facing increased hostility for equal rights even after 15 years of US intervention. Even though there has been increased strides in economic and education opportunity but within the country attitudes has been hostile.
What Reports Suggest?
As per congress special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, while trying to assert equal rights women are facing still violent resistance, not only from Taliban but also from associated insurgents, criminal gangs and even the neighbors. The resistance is while they are attempting to attend the school or workplace.
The insurgents control more ground and are making increasing efforts to corrupt recruits of army. The study shows that it’s a seven year peak for the violent attacks. Unemployment, opium production and poverty are in rising.
In his latest quarterly report Inspector General John F. Sopko said “Past gains are eroding,”
Repeated warnings have been sounded by Mr. Sopko about losing ground in Afghanistan due to corruption in government undermining a big chunk of American taxpayer’s money, which has been given to help the troubled country.
A complicated picture stares at us as this quarterly report takes a look at the women in Afghan society, which is based on a in-depth interviews with over 40 women, including the members of parliament, cabinet ministers and none other than Afghan first lady Rula Ghani.
Afghan Women Contribution
According to women, even though they are better off than when the country was ruled by Taliban, but social hurdles still exists.
Contribution to the family’s finance is by more than 22 percent of women which was around 14 percent in 2009. But less Afghans now believe that women should work outside of home which is why the percentage of such people has decreased to 64 percent from 71 percent.
New York based group Women for Afghan women said that the inspector general finding align with the ground reality which they have seen.