Afghanistan

Hundreds of Paktia Province women October 23 rallied in Gardez to announce their intentions to actively participate in the upcoming elections next year.

"We will be voting for the candidates who could help us achieve our rights," civil society activist Anar Gula said.

Women's participation in the electoral process has increased in Afghanistan recently.

We invite our users to read the full article published October 24, 2013

Women are increasingly exposed to violence and exclusion from the public sphere as Afghanistan nears the 2014 security transition and conservative forces gain momentum.

In its latest report, Women and Conflict in Afghanistan, the International Crisis Group examines the status of women in present-day Afghanistan.

We invite you to read the full article published October 15, 2013

Women across Afghanistan risk being unable to vote in next year's presidential elections because of a severe shortage of women in the security forces, the country's election monitor said on Wednesday.

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) said that there were just 2,000 of the required 12,000 women needed to carry out body searches required for voters entering polling stations set aside specially for women.

The Committee on Political Participation of Women (CPPW) urged political parties not to take advantage of the role of women in the 2014 election by using them as a tool to gain political mileage. The CPPW said that the need for sincerity in working to address issues of female political participation as despite the Afghan government's rhetoric about improving Afghan women's rights, no significant progress has been made.