BADAKHSHAN (SW): Officials at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and at the Directorate of Women’s Affair (DWA) in Badakhshan expressed their concern over the dearth of women presence in the local government in the province.
Arifa Navid, director of AIHRC in Badakhshan told Salam Watandar that the results of a survey by AHIRC and other government and nongovernmental organizations have shown that presence of women in the local government offices in Badakhshan has substantially diminished.
According to Arifa, the government has shown no interest in this regard and the continuation of this situation is alarming for women’s rights groups.
The officials of the Directorate of Women’s Affair in Badakhshan also said that with the exception of the Directorate of Women’s Affairs, there is no woman in the high ranking positions in the local government offices.
Nasrin Raufi director of DWA in Badakhshan said that although the government promised 30 percent high ranking positions for women in the government offices, however, the commitment has not been seen fulfilled so far in Badakhshan.
Farahnaz Pamiri, a member of the Badakhshan Provincial Council also said their effort to increase the presence of women in the government sector remained futile. However, the government has not been honest as well to provide 30 percent chance for women to occupy high ranking positions in the government offices, at least not in Badakshan, she added.
The women’s rights activists in the province also said that there are many female graduate students in Badakhshan, however, women’s presence in the public sector has diminished more than ever, due to increased insecurity and extensive expansion of extremism in the province.
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