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International Bulletin - Spring 1997

Chadors for Peace

Women Promoting Peace in Afghanistan

A project to focus on concrete actions and mechanisms through which the skills and talents of Afghan women can be fully realised for conflict resolution and peace making, to create opportunities for healing and national reconciliation for Afghanistan. It is vital that the International Community, UN agencies and NGOs move to concrete action in peace making and peace building.

Though Afghan society is patriarchal, the role of women as peace makers is both recognized and respected. Whilst boys and men are expected to be brave, proud, and individualistic, girls and women are encouraged to be sensitive to others, caring and community oriented. Within such a patriarchal system, Afghan women have acquired the skills and strategies for non-violence conflict management and resolution. Moreover, traditional mechanisms exist by which women can broker peace, such as "throwing the chador."

In Afghan tradition, the chador, or veil of a woman, carries symbolic meanings beyond the Islamic code of dress. A woman's chador is representative of a man's honour and pride. Women have an age old tradition of intervening in conflict situations through the mechanisms of throwing the veil or chador by which they can challenge belligerence to make peace or forgive wrongs.

The project requires identifying an Advisory Board of prominent names to give weight and prominence. Identifying women from within Afghanistan. Setting up training in conflict resolution, etc. Implementing the training. The project could serve as a role model for implementation in other conflict areas.

Project implementor is the Int. Working Group on Refugee Women, (Geneva, Switzerland), Convenor is Homayra Etemadi. Contact address I. W. G. R. W., c/o Webster University, 13-15 route de Collex, Bellevue, CH 1293 Tel/Fax: 0041 22 774 3391

Last Modified: November 29, 2002