The women of Afghanistan have taken another step towards political representation.? Preliminary results have recently been announced for September’s elections, and we are pleased to announce that Shinkai Zahine Karokhail has been elected to office in Kabul.
Statistics from the elections have encouraged a cautious optimism; with 25% of seats in the General Assembly reserved for women, 600 women stood for office.? In fact, the first session of parliament is expected to convene with a higher percentage of women representatives (27.3%) than many of the most established democracies.? In Britain, for example, just 19.7% of MPs are female.
Shinkai Zahine Karokhail is the Director of the Afghan Women’s Education Centre (AWEC), one of the three Afghan organisations supported by WOMANKIND.? She decided to stand up to represent the voice of Afghan women despite an incredible lack of resources, and indeed vulnerability to violence, experienced by many female candidates.
While in office, Shinkai hopes to work towards securing women’s education and the reform of family and civil law:
“I believe that it is only with strong women’s voices at the decision making level that women’s development can take strong strides into the future.”
We are also pleased to report that women made up 43% of voters, despite a lower than hoped-for overall turnout.? WOMANKIND has been helping Afghan women become engaged in the national democratic process, by supporting education initiatives and the provision of practical assistance with voter registrations.
The election results are one more small step towards equality for women in Afghanistan.? WOMANKIND is committed to helping women all over the world have a say in their families, communities and countries.? Please explore our website to find out more about how we help women participate in democratic processes, in countries including Afghanistan, India and Albania.
