----- forwarded message ----- Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 10:26:13 -0500 From: "pattrice le-muire jones" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Immediate Action Needed Concerning Women in Afghanistan
***** Please Forward to All Applicable Organizations ***** Very soon, the meetings which will determine the constitution of the new government of Afghanistan will be held... apparently without any women in attendance. Feminist and social justice organizations from around the world must act now to ensure (1) that women are included in the discussions which will lead to the transitional government, (2) that the rights of women will be recognized by that transitional government, and (3) that the permanent government will be created via a democratic process in which women are enfranchised. Because the United States is largely responsible for the current state of affairs in Afghanistan, and because the U.S. government is claiming to act in the interests of the women of Afghanistan, women�s organizations in the United States (and in any other nation assisting the U.S. in the attacks on Afghanistan) have a particular obligation to act quickly and effectively in solidarity with the women of Afghanistan. What should we do? It�s hard to know what might be effective in the context of rapidly changing events. However, here are a few thoughts: Goals: We should act in accordance with RAWA (Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan), which has called for a U.N. peacekeeping force to supervise the convening of the Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) and the transition to genuine democracy. As a backup, we should demand, at minimum, that RAWA (along with any other NGO or CSO truly representing the interests of Afghan women) be included in any talks concerning the new government and that the U.N. refuse to recognize any governing coalition which does not both include women and ensure enfranchisement of women when elections are held. Tactics: (1) Organizations which have consultative status with the U.N. must use this status to work within the U.N. system to promote the ideas put forward by RAWA. (2) Organizations with strong popular bases must mobilize their members to petition the U.N. and, if applicable, their governments on this issue. (3) Organizations with the resources and contacts to do so must immediately generate media attention to the question of the role of women in the new government of Afghanistan. This is particularly important in those countries where media reports of the treatment of women under the Taliban have been used to mobilize popular support for the attacks on Afghanistan. (4) The internet might be utilized to create an international petition to the U.N. Because time is short, any petition must be time delimited and broadly advertised. (5) Ideally, discussions could occur among organizations concerning these and other tactics. However, since time is short, organizations must not allow a perceived need for more discussion to impede immediate action. ***** Please Forward to All Applicable Organizations *****
