Women in Afghanistan: fighting fundamentalism and building their own future

With Shazia Shakib, member of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA)

Thursday 28 May 2009

Jointly presented by the Support Association of the Women of Afghanistan (SAWA) and the Bob Hawke Prime Ministerial Centre

Audio transcript available here

Shazia Shakib, a member of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), will come to Australia to give a first hand account of the struggle for human rights, democracy and secular values in a country ravaged by war and religious fundamentalism.

For 30 years, through Soviet occupation, Taliban rule, the American invasion and the current reign of warlords, RAWA has continued the struggle for democracy, human rights and secularism. RAWA runs health clinics, schools and adult education centres.

The Taliban prohibited the education of girls and are still destroying schools and murdering teachers who dare to continue teaching.

Shazia's tour is sponsored by Zonta District 23 Area 2

While the views presented by speakers within the Hawke Centre public program are their own and are not necessarily those of either the University of South Australia or The Hawke Centre, they are presented in the interest of open debate and discussion in the community and reflect our themes of: strengthening our democracy - valuing our cultural diversity - and building our future.