Dateline returns on 21st February
Tuesdays 9.30pm on SBS ONE

Afghanistan's Shame

32 Comments

With Afghanis about to go to the polls to choose a new President, video journalist Sophie McNeill takes a look at the plight of half of the voting population... women.
 
She finds they have little political power. Forced marriage, domestic violence and rape are rife, and the legal system is often tilted against the victims. Some women are finding their situation so desperate, that they set themselves on fire rather than continue to face their tormentors.
 
But there are also fledgling signs of a women's rights movement trying to turn the democratic process to its advantage. Sophie McNeill enters the secret world of the protest movement to speak to those leading the call for change.
 

HOW YOU CAN HELP
 
Many of you have commented asking what you can do to help.

Suraya Pakzad, who featured in our story, is the Executive Director of the NGO 'Voice of Women Organization' (VWO) which works to improve the lives of Afghan women.

She can be contacted at:
Phone: (0093) (040) 22 60 61
Mobile: (0093) (0) 799209386
Email: suraya@vwo.org.af or vwo_suraya@hotmail.com

The address of the VWO Main Office is:
Badmorghan, across from Masjidul Reza, Herat City, Afghanistan
Email: info@vwo.org.af or vwo_afg@yahoo.com
 
You can find more information on their website: http://vwo.org.af/index.htm


The Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) also fights for human rights and social justice in Afghanistan. They provide details on how you can donate on their website.

In June 2010, this report won a Walkley Young Journalist of the Year Award for Sophie McNeill. Click here to read more.

On air: 16th August 2009

explore

Afghanistan

timeline all stories