Women Between Peace and War: Afghanistan

Women and girls are the cornerstone to rebuilding peace in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The eroding effects of gender inequality, poverty, and lack of access to healthcare and education, however, have become the abhorrent and seemingly impermeable mainstays in many women’s lives. Establishing Afghan women as community actors lies in empowering them as political leaders. Only then can a shared vision of harmony, balance, and freedom ensue. Investment in women is an investment in peace.

When this exhibit was created in 2012, the government of Afghanistan was engaged in major military actions to gain control over Taliban-influenced areas. However, today we know that in September 2021, the Taliban took over the country following the withdrawal of all international troops. Before 2021, women and girls had very limited opportunities and after September 2021, they were stripped of their human rights. Women have been removed from their jobs, barred from attending secondary school, prohibited from traveling, and forced to wear face coverings.

Women Between Peace and War has been designed as an international awareness campaign that works to ensure that the voices of women and girls were not lost in the international military and political engagement in Afghanistan. Over the last 10 years the political, social, and cultural landscape of Afghanistan has changed significantly, and unfortunately as a result of these changes, women have been excluded from public life and have had almost all of their rights taken away. The voices and stories of these women need our attention as they face unimaginable violence, discrimination and hardships. Women Between Peace and War highlights the past stories of Afghan women and in doing so this exhibit provides an opportunity to shed light on the current plight of women and girls in Afghanistan.