Archived Document
Canada's support to Afghan women and girls
In November 2010, Canada announced a new role for its continued engagement in Afghanistan to 2014. Canada's 2011-2014 programming continues to put an emphasis on improving the lives of women and girls, with a particular focus on education, health and human rights. Canada is also committed to implementing its national action plan on women, peace and security, in all fragile and conflict-affected states, including Afghanistan.
- Canada addresses the needs of women and girls by supporting a range of projects to:
- Increase access to and quality of education for girls
- Improve maternal health
- Support the human rights of women and girls
- Strengthen results for women and girls in humanitarian assistance
- Today, more than 2.7 million girls are enrolled in school. This number is in stark contrast to 2001, when Afghan girls were not allowed to attend school.
- Of the 162,000 teachers in Afghanistan 30% are women, an increase from 21,000 in 2002.
- A record number of female candidates ran in the Parliamentary elections of 2010.
Women and girls in Afghanistan face tremendous challenges. Indicators regarding their health, education, economic well-being, and human rights remain among the lowest in the world.
For example, Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world with 1,400 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Similarly, the Afghan women's literacy rate is one of the lowest in the world at 12.5% nationally compared to 39.3% for Afghan men; there are no female students enrolled beyond grade 9 in approximately 50% of urban and rural districts.
Economic opportunities remain limited for women, and women and girls continue to be victims of discrimination and violence in their communities and in their homes.
Progress being made
Despite harsh inequalities, some circumstances are changing for women in Afghanistan:
- The 2004 Afghan Constitution re-established equality between women and men before the law, and also guaranteed a number of specific rights for women, such as a minimum level of representation in Parliament;
- In 2009, Afghanistan put in place the Elimination of Violence Against Women Law - the first law of its kind for the country, and one of Afghanistan's targets in meeting Millennium Development Goal 3 (Gender equality and women's empowerment);
- The Government of Afghanistan has ratified international human rights treaties such as the Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);
- The Afghan government has made specific commitments to delivering results for women in its National Action Plan for the Women of Afghanistan (NAPWA) and its national Development Strategy (ANDS).
Building on progress and addressing the remaining challenges is a long-term process that will not happen overnight. Canada is observing the Government of Afghanistan taking positive steps toward ensuring progress for women and girls and advancing their rights. Moving forward, Canada's commitment will remain steadfast in helping to improve the lives of Afghan women and girls.
A multifaceted approach
Canada's support for women and girls in Afghanistan takes many forms, including ongoing dialogue with the Government of Afghanistan, civil society, the UN, and other donors and as an advocate within the international community at the policy and program levels. With Canadian and international partners, Canada financially supports a breadth of targeted projects, such as:
- Girls’ Education Project
- More than 4,000 community-based schools have been established in 20 provinces
- Providing primary education to more than 125,000 students, over 85% of them girls
- CIDA’s Responsive Fund for the Advancement of Women
- Supports Afghan civil society organizations to strengthen, accelerate and influence programming and policies that advance women’s empowerment, women’s rights and gender equality.
- Literacy Program in Kandahar Province
- Provided literacy training for more than 20,000 people, over 70% of whom are women
- Quality Primary Education in Southern Afghanistan
- Providing education to over 3,800 children, of whom 62% are girls
- Strengthening Health Activities for the Rural Poor
- A multi-donor partnership with the Afghan Ministry of Public Health provides on-budget support to the overall implementation of the Afghan health sector program based on the country’s own Health and Nutrition Sector Strategy (HNSS).
- Increasing Access to Maternal and Child Health Care
- Led by the Ministry of Public Health and UNICEF this initiative aims to reduce maternal and child mortality in the three southern provinces of the country.
