Meeting of 30 Qarabagh Peace Jirga Members

On 17 September 2007, 30 Qarabagh Peace Jirga members met with Meshrano Jirga (MJ) member Bibi Haji Nasisa Sultani (BHNS) and Sanyee Development Organisation lead female trainer Ms. Massooda Nesar (MN).

Following is a transcript of the meeting:

MJ member Bibi Haji Nasisa Sultani introduced herself, thanked UNIFEM for organising her participation, and said she was looking forward to speaking to the peace Jirga about 21 September and Peace Day:

I am pleased to see that there are women in every district of Afghanistan prepared to talk about peace. We have faced two decades of war in Afghanistan, and while the Shomali area was not caught up in all the conflict every woman was affected when losing their husbands, brothers, family members. You face a disadvantage, first being women and second dealing with the decades of war which have torn Afghanistan apart. People need to raise their voices in aid of others. I represent all the widows and disabled victims of war like myself.

She said: This women’s council makes me happy, it is great that women are coming together and playing their part in peace. As a result of this council women can convince their brothers and children that they should be a part of peace building.

We should not let our children believe that war is normal otherwise they will grow up like their fathers and brothers before them. Women come to this Jirga to talk about your country and to raise your concerns. I’m here to support all the widows who have to work hard just to feed their families. I want to help you raise your voices for help from the international community. Children should not have to work on the streets to feed their family.

A woman from the peace Jirga who was crying stood up and said: My son refuses to go to school until he has raised enough money to lift his family out of poverty.

BHNS: It is impossible to sum up my thoughts in a few words, but, I am here to listen to your concerns and hear your thoughts on how the international community can maintain the peace and help you. I want to take your thoughts back to my colleagues and the international community.

MN: There are two councils in Qarabagh, one in the centre and one near by in Dinarhel. The women in this council here today are from 8 or 9 villages. Also in Istalif there are 28 women attending a peace council and in Guldara 26 women attend.

BHNS: Is there one in Shakadara? Women there have many problems.

MN: We have not got enough money but are hoping to start more projects in 2008.

One woman from the peace jirga who is a teacher said: After taking part in peace building workshops I feel it is my responsibility to spread peace and treat my students as my children.

Another woman teacher attended a 6 day peace building programme with SDO last year said: Prior to this I had big problems in my family but peace building skills have helped me with that.  I have also improved myself as a result of this programme. The relations that the women have with their husbands are also changing. Our husbands are joking that they should send their wives to the workshops for 24 hours a day.

One woman said: I have developed patience working with my family now, there used to be ethnicity problems in our communities but now we don’t think about the ethnic origin of people when judging them.

BHNS: The greatest problem in this country is that we don’t have enough awareness of our rights, we wouldn’t face all these problems if we knew our rights.

One Peace Jirga member said: One of the cases I helped with after this workshop was when a man became fed up with his wife as he was taking on a second wife so he left the first wife in his father’s house with no food. The first wife became very ill and decided to leave her husband, I spoke to her and gave her hope again.

BHNS: If only every woman could solve one or two problems like this in her community then it would be perfect.

Another woman spoke of a case: A man was going crazy from opium addiction and threatening to kill people, I spoke to him and talked him into stopping his violence.

Another woman told: My brothers were having land disputes, I helped them section their land.

Another woman said: A woman who I knew had a problem with her husband and wanted to leave him, I convinced her to talk to him first.

The women all agreed that students and the young have the responsibility to spread this message of peace in their schools, at wedding parties, everywhere.

One of the teachers said: One of my students was very poor and so another girl was putting bread in to her bag without telling her so she would have something to eat.  The poor girl was confused and so told her mother who was scared that this strange phenomenon was taking place so came to the school to confront the children about it. I explained to them that it was a kind act and the mother realised that children in the class were caring for her daughter.

Women said they are teaching their own husbands about peace building when they go home.

One woman said: My two brothers were collecting grapes and one was working a lot but the other not which was causing disputes. I convinced them to reach a compromise. Another problem I faced was of two brothers fighting due to land disputes. I made them compromise and stopped them building a big wall between their land which would have been very divisive.

They all agreed that the biggest disputes faced are to do with land inheritance and related to ownership which affects women. They gave the example of a man seeing the face of another mans wife, which could lead to one man killing the other.

MN: It is a great achievement that women solved other’s problems.

BHNS: How sad it is that women have to face so many problems, please raise all of your problems with me.

One woman said: My step-daughter needs constant care as she lost both legs in a mine accident and I haven’t got the time or money to give her what she needs which causes a lot of conflict in our household.

BHNS: She should be getting help and benefits for this - she should get a letter from the hospital that treated her step-daughter for her injuries and then take it to the Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled in order to claim her allowance. If you have any problems please take my telephone number and say that I sent you. I will give everyone my telephone number in case you need it at some point. Last year I campaigned with other people who have disabilities due to the war demanding more benefits for all disabled people in Afghanistan and when I saw how many other people face the same hardship as me it made me so sad that I spoke to the AIHRC, President Karzai and the UN and asked for support for these people. The Ministry of Martyrs and Disabled is giving 400 Afs per month as an allowance to disabled women now, before this the allowances were only for men.

MN asked: If anyone present wants to raise any more problems you have with BHNS so she can take them back: We need peace building projects to be implemented in every village.  There should be courses in recitation of the Quoran, tailoring, health services training and English. Most of the women here are widows and all the responsibility for the household is on the women’s shoulders. They should be able to make a living somehow.

BHNS: Microfinance projects are a good way of providing for women, Caroline representing the UN should take this issue back to her office [NB I spoke to Bibi afterwards and gave her my card saying that any specific projects or initiatives she had she should address to us and the resource centre would try to address them!]

BHNS: I will also take these suggestions for courses back to the Commission of Gender, Civil Society and Human Rights. I think organisations like SDO should carry out health service workshops as well as peace building in communities.  [SDO responded saying they had a lack of funding]

MN: Bibi can you help us to build this council’s relationship with MPs and UNIFEM so that we can establish a formal constant contact mechanism.

BHNS: I will take this message to all 23 female Meshrano Jirga members and talk to them about peace, I am really interested in this work and don’t want this to be the last time I visit this peace Jirga. Next time I will bring other members of parliament with me.

MN: It is a real shame that you didn’t come to Paghman. There are many cases of violence in Paghman and it is really important for UNIFEM and MPs to see what the women there have to face.

I responded: Unfortunately we would have had to have taken 8 police, two armoured vehicles and two UN cars, we didn’t think this appropriate. It was not Bibi’s choice she agreed to come with us to Paghman but UN security restrictions meant it would have been impossible.

17 September 2007, Caroline Hames – Gender in Politics Specialist.

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