Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan

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Logo of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan
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Logo of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan

The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) (Persian language: جمعیت انقلابی زنان افغانستان jami'aat-e enghilaab-e zanaan-e afghaanstaan) is a women's organization in Afghanistan that promotes women's rights and secular democracy. It was founded in Kabul in 1977 by Meena Keshwar Kamal (Mostly known as Meena), a student activist who was assassinated in 1987 for her political activities. The group opposed both the Soviet-supported regime and the later Mujahideen and Taliban Islamist rulers. Since RAWA opposes all forms of religious fundamentalism, it is regarded as a controversial group in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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[edit] Early activities

Much of their efforts in the 1990s involved holding seminars and press conferences and other fund-raising activities in Pakistan, as well as the creation of secret schools, orphanages nursing courses, handicraft centers etc. for women and girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and the secret filming of women being beaten in the street in Afghanistan by the religious police, [1] (video) and being executed [2] (video). They were unable to have any visible presence in the areas under Taliban or Northern Alliance because their activities were forbidden, and there were several death threats against their members.[3]

[edit] RAWA after 9/11

RAWA was highly critical of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, emphasizing casualties among the civilian population. [4] The organization went so far as to threaten to sue US authorities for unauthorized use of four photos from their website that were used in propaganda handbills that were dropped on various cities in Afghanistan during the 2001 invasion.[5] After the defeat of the Taliban regime by U.S. and Northern Alliance forces, RAWA warned against the Northern Alliance as being equally fundamentalist and dangerous. They charge that the current government led by Hamid Karzai has no support in most areas of Afghanistan, and that fundamentalists are enforcing anti-woman laws as they were under the Taliban.[6] These claims are supported by media reports about the Herat government of Ismail Khan, who has created a religious police that forces women to obey strict dress and behavior codes, and many reports by Human Rights Watch.

[edit] Current activities

They declare their current activities as the promotion of women's rights under Afghanistan's government, attempting to keep women's issues in the forefront of any permanent government, and expanding educational opportunities for women. They collect funds to support hospitals, schools and orphanages and still run many projects in Pakistan and Afghanistan. For example they are running a project for orphans sponsorship with CharityHelp.org.

Recently RAWA has started its mission inside Afghanistan and organize some of its events in Kabul. They marked the International Women's Day in Kabul on March 8, 2006. [7] [8] which was one of the main fuctions in Kabul on that day and over 1,200 people attended it.[9]

On September 27, 2006, a RAWA member for the first time (perhaps in the whole history of RAWA) appeared in a round table of a local Afghan TV channel called TOLO TV. She had a debate with a representative of a hard line fundamentalist group. She names the top leaders of the Islamic groups and termed them "war criminal and responsible for the ongoing tragedy in Afghanistan". But Tolo TV censored the audio of any sections where names were called. [10]

On October 7, 2006, the Afghan Women's Mission (AWM) [11] organized a big fund raising event for RAWA in Los Angeles. [12] Eve Ensler was the chief guest and Sonali Kolhatkar and Zoya, a member of RAWA, were among the speakers.

Zoya told in her speech: "By witnessing the crimes and brutalities of the Northern Alliance terrorists, the foot soldiers of the US in Afghanistan in the so-called war against Taliban, even humanity should die for Barbara and all Americans, when they see their government support such misogynist and dark-minded killers and impose them on the Afghan people." Transcript Audio

RAWA event in Kabul on March 8, 2006. Over 1500 people attended it.
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RAWA event in Kabul on March 8, 2006. Over 1500 people attended it.

[edit] Achievements

RAWA has so far won 16 awards and certificates from around the world for its work for human rights and democray, some of the awards include The sixth Asian Human Rights Award - 2001 [13], The French Republic's Liberty, Equality, Fraternity Human Rights Prize, 2000 [14], Emma Humphries Memorial Prize 2001 [15], Glamour Women of the Year 2001 [16], 2001 SAIS-Novartis International Journalism Award from Johns Hopkins University [17], Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the U.S. Congress, 2004 [18], Honorary Doctorate from University of Antwerp (Belgium) for outstanding non-academic achievements [19], as well as many other awards.[20]

[edit] What others say about RAWA

In the book "With All Our Strength: The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan" by Anne Broadsky ISBN 0-415-93492-3, a number of world-known writers and human rights activists write their views of RAWA. They include Arundhati Roy who says "Each of us needs a little RAWA", Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues suggests that RAWA must stand as a model for every group working to end violence, Katha Pollitt, Author of Subject to Debate: Sense and Dissents on Women, Politics, and Culture upload RAWA for its role. Ahmed Rashid, author of Taliban and Jihad and Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur of the UN and prominent women's rights activist of Pakistan are two Pakistanis who write about RAWA and express their support. [21]

[edit] Further reading

  • Benard, Cheryl. 2002. Veiled Courage: Inside the Afghan Women's Resistance. New York: Broadway Books.ISBN 0-7679-1301-9
  • Brodsky, Anne E. 2003. With All Our Strength: The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. New York: Routledge.ISBN 0-415-93492-3
  • Chavis, Melody Ermachild. 2004. Meena, Heroine of Afghanistan : The Martyr Who Founded RAWA, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. New York: St. Martin's Griffin.ISBN 0-312-30690-3
  • Follain, John and Rita Cristofari. 2002. Zoya's Story: An Afghan Woman's Struggle for Freedom. New York: William Morrow.ISBN 0-06-009782-5
  • Sonali Kolhatkar and James Ingalls, 2006. Bleeding Afghanistan: Washington, Warlords, and the Propaganda of Silence. [22]

[edit] External links

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