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| Women’s Day, Afghan Style: Head Scarves and Flowers | Women’s Day, Afghan Style: Head Scarves and Flowers |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| KABUL, Afghanistan — In Afghanistan, women are not celebrated on just a single day like the rest of the world. International Women’s Day starts March 8, and is celebrated here day after day through the end of the month. | |
| Judging by the quantity of Women’s Day events here — parties, awards ceremonies, conferences, panel discussions and concerts — it would appear that women in Afghanistan were doing quite well. | Judging by the quantity of Women’s Day events here — parties, awards ceremonies, conferences, panel discussions and concerts — it would appear that women in Afghanistan were doing quite well. |
| But Afghanistan has one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates, according to United Nations Women. And the United Nations Development Program gender equality index ranks Afghanistan at 152 out of 155 countries. | |
| Women are allowed to work, study and go out of the house — all of which was completely prohibited during the Taliban era. But in practice, in most places outside big cities, such freedoms are still very limited or even nonexistent. | Women are allowed to work, study and go out of the house — all of which was completely prohibited during the Taliban era. But in practice, in most places outside big cities, such freedoms are still very limited or even nonexistent. |
| This year International Women’s Day began a week before March 8 with a speech by the first lady, Rula Ghani. “I am happy to be a witness of women’s empowerment in different aspects of their lives: social, political and economic,” she said. “We are joyful that day by day and slowly, Afghan women are relying economically on themselves.” | |
| Last Wednesday, some of the Western embassies held parties to celebrate the day, and on Thursday and again on Saturday there were events for Afghan women organized by everyone from the presidential palace to the Afghanistan journalists council. Our bureau received at least 10 invitations to different events and there were many we were not invited to. Parliament held its own Women’s Day event on Monday. | |
| One of the invitations I received was from a group I had rarely heard from, the Afghanistan journalists council, which was honoring 30 women — mostly journalists, including me. The council does not have a website, just a not-very-active Facebook page, but it holds occasional conferences. | One of the invitations I received was from a group I had rarely heard from, the Afghanistan journalists council, which was honoring 30 women — mostly journalists, including me. The council does not have a website, just a not-very-active Facebook page, but it holds occasional conferences. |
| The ceremony was a little disappointing; the presenter could not pronounce the name of my news organization or the names of many of the female journalists. Many of the “honorees” did not attend. The organizers handed out red flowers and head scarves, though few women in Afghanistan need more. | The ceremony was a little disappointing; the presenter could not pronounce the name of my news organization or the names of many of the female journalists. Many of the “honorees” did not attend. The organizers handed out red flowers and head scarves, though few women in Afghanistan need more. |
| Nooria Ashraf, in charge of women’s issues for the council, complained about how hard it was to raise money to buy the head scarves, and how concerned she was about people on local television who she said sometimes dress “inappropriately.” | Nooria Ashraf, in charge of women’s issues for the council, complained about how hard it was to raise money to buy the head scarves, and how concerned she was about people on local television who she said sometimes dress “inappropriately.” |
| The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, which does important work advocating for the security of Afghan reporters, also wanted to honor me — and 99 other women in journalism. They gave us red flowers as well, along with notebooks instead of scarves. | The Afghan Journalists Safety Committee, which does important work advocating for the security of Afghan reporters, also wanted to honor me — and 99 other women in journalism. They gave us red flowers as well, along with notebooks instead of scarves. |
| Few people in Afghanistan know about the real meaning and history of Women’s Day, which is meant to acknowledge the long history of women’s struggle for emancipation. Many here think that it is a day like Mother’s Day and that they should give gifts to their mothers, wives and even their female colleagues — especially head scarves. | |
| For many women in Afghanistan, the day is a reminder not so much of how far they have come, but how much further there is to go. | For many women in Afghanistan, the day is a reminder not so much of how far they have come, but how much further there is to go. |
| The other day I was on the street reporting on a suicide bombing. Policemen and even some of the male journalists at the scene kept asking what I was doing, as if I were engaged in work unbecoming of a woman. The nicer ones were worried I would be scarred by the experience, and couldn’t handle it. The ruder ones felt I was stepping out of my lane. | The other day I was on the street reporting on a suicide bombing. Policemen and even some of the male journalists at the scene kept asking what I was doing, as if I were engaged in work unbecoming of a woman. The nicer ones were worried I would be scarred by the experience, and couldn’t handle it. The ruder ones felt I was stepping out of my lane. |
| One official suggested that it was dangerous for me to be out that late at night. | One official suggested that it was dangerous for me to be out that late at night. |
| It isn’t easy being a woman journalist in Afghanistan; it isn’t easy being a woman here, for that matter. | It isn’t easy being a woman journalist in Afghanistan; it isn’t easy being a woman here, for that matter. |
| But for many Afghan women, that is not what comes across in all these celebrations. | But for many Afghan women, that is not what comes across in all these celebrations. |
| It often appears that many institutions use Women’s Day to show a liberal face, but just for a day. | It often appears that many institutions use Women’s Day to show a liberal face, but just for a day. |
| “On every International Women’s Day, I keep thinking more of how suppressed we are within this patriarchal society,” said Sahar Fetrat, a filmmaker and women’s activist. “The symbolic celebrations, flowers, gifts and some words of empathy and sympathy are always given to women every 8th of March while on the same day, sexism, inequality, harassment and violence against women screams from all the streets and corners of this country.” | “On every International Women’s Day, I keep thinking more of how suppressed we are within this patriarchal society,” said Sahar Fetrat, a filmmaker and women’s activist. “The symbolic celebrations, flowers, gifts and some words of empathy and sympathy are always given to women every 8th of March while on the same day, sexism, inequality, harassment and violence against women screams from all the streets and corners of this country.” |
| Women’s activists say that donors find it easy to give money for celebrations, which no one criticizes, while it’s much harder to support programs that produce real — and therefore controversial — change. | Women’s activists say that donors find it easy to give money for celebrations, which no one criticizes, while it’s much harder to support programs that produce real — and therefore controversial — change. |
| “We do not want to get flowers and head scarves,” said Zubaida Akbar, an advocate for women’s rights. “Instead, respect us as humans.” | “We do not want to get flowers and head scarves,” said Zubaida Akbar, an advocate for women’s rights. “Instead, respect us as humans.” |
| Nearly a billion dollars of foreign aid to Afghanistan, maybe more, has gone into programs meant to make women’s lives better. But according to a new report by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, violence against women has increased 8.6 percent this year. | Nearly a billion dollars of foreign aid to Afghanistan, maybe more, has gone into programs meant to make women’s lives better. But according to a new report by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, violence against women has increased 8.6 percent this year. |
| Still, while many women scoff at the gift of head scarves, at least, they acknowledge, they are not being given burqas. | Still, while many women scoff at the gift of head scarves, at least, they acknowledge, they are not being given burqas. |