|
Conflict in Afghanistan has had a disproportionately negative impact on Afghan women, who have borne the brunt of the violence and remain subjected to practices that reflect gender biases. While the international community still hopes to “liberate” and “empower” Afghan women in so-called post-conflict Afghanistan, gender programs are struggling to take gender (in a robust sense of the word) into account. Unintended outcomes can emerge from gender-focused interventions when they fail to address gender issues, focusing only on women and stoking men’s resentment. They also occur when development agendas advocate social change and transformation but fail to meet women’s expectations or give them an active role in their own transformation. The perception that change is externally imposed can result in a backlash against women. The author argues that it is crucial to support and advocate a contextualized approach that recognizes Afghan history and Afghan pace and patterns of social change. To this end, interventions must aim to understand the concept of “gender” and “empowerment” in the local context and the construction of gender roles and relations. This entails congruence with Islam and other social frameworks within which Afghans choose to operate.
About the Author
Lina Abirafeh is of Lebanese-Palestinian origin. Conflicts and gender issues have been an inherent part of her life. She first developed an interest in Afghanistan in 1996 during her time as a researcher with the Women’s Rights Advocacy Project of the International Human Rights Law Group (now Global Rights). Since 2002, Ms. Abirafeh has worked in Afghanistan in a variety of incarnations - as Country Director of Women for Women International, as the Senior Gender Officer for UNOPS Joint Electoral Management Body Secretariat, as an independent consultant for FES (Friedrich Ebert Stiftung), and for UNIFEM, amongst others. She received her master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), and is currently pursuing a PhD from the London School of Economics under the auspices of the Development Studies Institute. Ms. Abirafeh’s doctoral research examines the effects of gender-focused international aid in the context of post-conflict Afghanistan.
|
