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British Afghan community marks 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day

On Monday 8 March, the British Afghan community held events across London to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day and the 10th anniversary of the Millennium Development Goals.

The British Afghan Women's Society marked the occasion on Westminster Bridge where they and fellow Afghans asked passing Londoners to sign a 'Women for Peace' banner in solidarity with women in Afghanistan and around the world. Find out more about the event here.

And the Afghan Council UK held an event in Parliament to mark the day. After an opening statement by host Greg Hands MP, young women working for the Afghan Council delivered a presentation highlighting the role that women have played throughout Afghanistan's history. Following this, Captain Victoria Currie and Captain Imogen Verret from the UK Armed Forces spoke on the roles that they had played in Kabul and Kandahar as part of the UK armed forces. There was also a panel discussion on women's contributions to development in Afghanistan, on the progress made in support of women's rights since 2001 and on the challenges still remaining. Members of the panel included: Roberta Blackman-Woods MP, Wazhma Frogh - a recipient of the US Secretary of States award for International Women of Courage, Horia Mosadiq from Amnesty International and a representative from the UK Department for International Development.

The Society of Afghan Residents in the UK held an event in Ealing Town Hall to discuss the issues facing West London’s female Afghan community. This event was partly funded under the Free-D initiative of the Home Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government. Over 150 women from the Afghan Community in West London attended the discussion which opened with a reading from the Qur'an. Representatives from the Home Office and the Department for International Development spoke about the importance of the roles of women both in the UK and in Afghanistan. And after the animated and enlightening discussions, the evening ended with entertainment provided by the famous Afghan musician, Ms. Bilqies.

Find out more information on how the UK works to support women in Afghanistan.

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