Letters: Help Afghan women

Wednesday, 16 Jan 2013

Letters: It is time for David Cameron to be as forthright as Barack Obama and state that he will stand by Afghan women

President Obama is right to be "unequivocal" about the importance of protecting women's rights in Afghanistan as part of the US's peace, reconciliation and development efforts in the country (Report, 12 January).

It is highly significant that his comments come as part of official talks with President Karzai about future troop movements. The weekly assassinations and attacks on women activists confirm we are a long way off from a safe Afghanistan for women.

A recent UK parliamentary committee inquiry confirmed that the treatment of women in Afghanistan when our troops pull out next year will be the litmus test for the UK's own involvement in the country. It is therefore time for David Cameron to be as forthright as Obama and state equally unequivocally that he will stand by Afghan women as they fight for their rights – by supporting a focused drive to tackle violence against women and girls in that country.
Zohra Moosa
Women's rights adviser, ActionAid UK

Wednesday, 16 Jan 2013

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