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This is an excerpt from a discussion that took place on the Women & Literacy listserv from 17 November - 1 December 2005.
To view the complete discussion compilation, click here.
8. Violence Against Women
Questions:
. . . this past October, I did a presentation for 10 Afghani women who had been hosted by ITD (Institute for Training and Development) in Amherst, MA to learn more about literacy teaching (in general, not only for women). WE LEARN did a presentation on women's literacy issues and resources. I only spent a few hours with them and wished I could have more time to learn more from them. They were both administrators and service-providers. The 10 women were from various NGOs -- several they had founded on their own -- as well as Afghani governmental organizations. Many served women only, but generally in the contexts of family and community. (Lisa's earlier observation that women's issues are raised within general contexts of health, etc. seemed true of this group.) They were particularly aware of women's issues, especially health concerns...and they were all eager and hungry to learn about whatever tools and resources for literacy teaching they could get during their 3 week stay in the U.S. . . During the opening introductions of the workshop, I asked each woman to introduce herself and her organization and to discuss how women and literacy issues intersect and how and what women's issues surface in the work they do. A number of issues emerged -- somewhat comparative to the issues that surface for women in literacy programs in the US (disease & health, economic development, pregnancy & childbirth, family support, etc.). But there was one significant difference. Inevitably, when this group of questions gets raised in a US context, what bubbles to the top with most frequency are the effects of domestic, sexual, and community violence on women's access to education and their ability to concentrate or stay engaged in learning situations. This was not the case among the women in the Afghan group I worked with. In fact, violence of any kind was mentioned only once and very much in passing -- which I find extremely curious given the continuous state of war in Afghanistan and women's lives under Taliban. I wondered if this was so because violence is so "normalized" (as Jenny Horsman might say) to the point where it's not discussed or even identified as an issue? or simply too painful to discuss?? So, finally, my question to Brenda...in your experience in working with women, do they talk about violence? or how do you see it affecting their learning? I know you can't speak for these 10 women and I don't want to generalize, but can you offer some perspective on this? As I say, violence so often surfaces in many conversations and writings about women's literacy and it was the absence of these issues in the discussion with this particular group of Afghan women that startled me.
Discussion:
8A. Yesterday, over lunch with eight women who are teacher trainers, I had the opportunity to ask a few questions. We were discussing rural economic development, having just come out a session where they were planning and practicing a workshop for new village literacy teachers on the objectives of LCEP (Literacy and Community Empowerment). I asked if they thought rural women would say that lack of money is the most important issue for them as women. Absolutely not, they said. The biggest issue is women's human rights - the right not to be married off at 11 or 12; the right to not be abused or beaten; the right to education; the right not to have 12 children. This led us into a discussion of the recent local conference on eliminating violence against women, in which one staff person had participated. The issues are becoming a little different for educated women in Kabul, she said. She said that in addition to the 'usual' ways in which violence is perpetrated against women by men, some women at this conference were talking about the rise in what she called 'psychological' violence that women use against each other. She gave the example of one very highly placed government official who said that since she has been appointed, women have turned against her, are jealous of her, and are undermining her efforts. Overall, the conference was focused on establishing some common goals and strategies for raising awareness and educating women and men about violence against women. There was participation by key Ministries - such those of Women's Affairs, Social and Labor Affairs, Health, Education, Higher Education, Finance, and the Haj - as well as by the Human Rights Commission and international and national NGOs. While each group committed to developing specific strategies, there were several recommendations - such as using the Women's Affairs centers in each province to hold awareness-raising and strategy workshops at the provincial level; and to establish national regulations for registering engagements (as important as the marriage itself) - to protect very young women. And, to expand the number (currently only 4 : one in Kabul and 3 in the provinces) of shelters for women. Some of the documents from the conference will be translated into English, and if I'm still here when they are made available, I will try to share them.
8B. I asked a Western friend who speaks good Dari to share her experiences with Afghans (and women in particular) talking about violence in their lives. Here are some excerpts from what she had to say:
"In terms of violence against women, all I can tell you is it happens and most people know and don't question it."
"I was talking to a group of folks last night and the topic of violence came up. Killing is violence - but beating is not considered violence. Beating is considered part of educating and ensuring good behavior. Interestingly, about 2 years ago, there was study that showed that beating is conducted by 90% of formal school teachers."
"Once I was privy to an odd conversation. I was in the back seat driving around the roads of Bamiyan and the Hazara driver was speaking with an Easterner who had gone to the West. "I hear that they don't beat their wives in America". The returnee said, "It's true-- even some students take their teachers to court if there is any suspicion that the teachers have even touched them." Said the driver, "That's awful. People lose their values when they go to the West."
My friend also shared a couple of other stories ....
"There was a woman who was going home in the early evening in Macrorayan (the big area of Soviet-built apartment blocks in Kabul). A taxi was speeding and hit her. After all the uproar they got the woman out from under the car. She told the taxi driver 'if only you would have been going faster and killed me because it is better that I were dead, than go home late and get beating from my husband for being so late.'"
"Also I was told about a man who killed his wife. He found she was a "woman" not "a daughter" after they married and so he killed her on the second day of marriage. He strangled her."
"Once we had a Gender Training for people in our program. And of the 1 million 3 hundred thousand trainings we have had, this was the most compelling I have ever witnessed. People were so heated and there was so much back and forth. We started out by addressing stereotypes. We got in groups and each group had to fill in the blank.
An Afghan man is...
An Afghan woman is. . .
An Afghan man should be.. .
An Afghan woman should be . . .
"In the Afghan men's group the answers were 'He is …..hospitable ……kind….. faithful……loyal fights for his country …….fights against colonialism. This came from the men.. The women in the group said...He is …..cruel……beats his wife……..steps on the rights of women."
8C. A follow up comment to my post from earlier today: I have a copy of a booklet (in Dari) that was distributed at the eliminating violence conference, about women (around the world, in Afghanistan, women's issues). It is a joint publication, I think, of UNFPA, the government of Afghanistan, and Women Without Borders (and maybe more organizations - I can't read the Dari). It contains some great illustrations. The one on the cover is of three women standing on a globe (with symbols of women's work/contributions - books, pots, a stethoscope, a scythe). They are holding their arms up toward the sky --Two of the three are wearing hijab, or scarves, and the third does not have her hair covered. The title translates something roughly like the old slogan 'women hold up half the sky' -- I love it! And -- one more note -- inside the booklet there is a map of the world, with pictures of notable women from various places in the world. The one woman pictured from the US is Rosa Parks. I love it!
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