Women for Afghan Women
Press Release - Oct. 8, 2002
Contacts: Sunita Mehta: Sunitabmehta@aol.com: (212) 260-4446
Masuda Sultan: miakamran@aol.com: (212) 868-9360
Women for Afghan Women, the first grassroots organization in New York City dedicated to the rights of Afghan women, is pleased to announce:
*The publication of our book: Women for Afghan Women: Shattering Myths and Claiming the
Future, edited by Sunita Mehta, (Palgrave/Global Publishing at St. Martins Press).
*Our second annual conference: Afghan Women Report: Achievements and Challenges
One Year After Bonn
-Saturday, October 19, 2002: 9:00AM to 5:30 PM: Conference is free: box lunch, $5
-Barnard Hall, Barnard College, 117th Street and Broadway, NYC
Women for Afghan Women: Shattering Myths and Claiming the Future is a collection of essays inspired by our first conference. It includes pieces by Sima Wali, President of Refugee Women in Development; Eleanor Smeal, Feminist Majority Foundation; Riffat Hassan, feminist theologian and women’s rights activist; Angela King, Assistant Secretary General for Women’s Affairs, UN; Fahima Vorgetts, activist and cofounder of HOOWA (Humanitarian Organization for Orphans and Women of Afghanistan); Rina Amiri, Senior Associate for Research, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; and many others. Essayists trace the history of women’s roles and the battle for women’s rights in Afghanistan during the last fifty years, examine the role of Islam in the lives of Afghan women, and demand the total participation of women in all aspects of the reconstruction process in Afghanistan.
WAW’s second annual conference will occur one year after the historic meetings in Bonn, Germany. Secular and religious Afghan women who have been living in Afghanistan or who have returned from exile to help rebuild the nation will report on their work and the challenges they face as they fight to ensure human rights for women in the new Afghan society. Panelists will discuss health and education, human rights and human security, the economic prospects for women, and the governance structure that supports women's rights and well-being. The conference will encourage dialogue and debate on the complex issues that Afghan women are wrestling with: religious versus secular viewpoints; world support of non-governmental organizations ("NGOs") versus the state; and the role of Western women in supporting Afghan women.
Panelists include:
Sima Samari, Human Rights Commissioner, Afghanistan
Orzala Ashraf: President, Humanitarian Assistance for Women and Children of Afghanistan (www.HAWCA.org)
Hangama Anwari: Afghan Women’s Lawyers and Professionals Associations
Dr. Riffat Hassan: Professor of religion, feminist theologian
Eve Ensler, V-Day and Author, The Vagina Monologues
Eleanor Smeal: President, Feminist Majority Foundation
Fatima Gailani: Loya Jirga delegate
Fahima Vorgetts: activist, fundraiser.
Belquis Ahmadi: Human Rights Law Group
Daria Fane: U. S. State Department
Marzia Basel, Judge in Kabul
… and many more…
*Members of the Press wishing to set up interviews in advance, or attend WAW’s book launch party in NYC, 6-8 pm, October 18, 2002, they can contact Sunita Mehta or
Masuda Sultan.
*Press are welcome at the conference, and WAW volunteers will be assigned to assisting
any member of the press conduct interviews with panelists and WAW members.
