IWPR Debates Seen as Key Educational Resource

Participants in a series of debates organised by IWPR say they have served as an important educational tool to help people become more aware about their rights.

The most recent series of IWPR’s Peace and Reconciliation events took place in 12 Afghan provinces and covered a range of topics, with about 1,200 people attending.

“One great educational benefit of these programmes is that people are made aware of the law,” said Hashmatullah Ishaqzada Safi, a participant in a debate in Kapisa province, north of the capital Kabul. “Citizens get the chance to speak to officials face to face and share local and regional problems with them, and this undoubtedly has a positive impact. Participants in these debates then take new ideas back when they return to their home areas.”

The Kapisa debate, along with similar events held in Balkh province in northern Afghanistan and Ghor in the northwest, focused on the role that tax revenues played in enabling the government to deliver services.

Nabi Saqi, a lecturer at the Ghor teachers’ training centre, said citizens had to pay tax if they wanted government to function properly.

“One of the reasons why the state has failed to provide even basic services is that citizens avoid paying tax, and the state has failed to collect the revenue due to it. This is partly because of a lack of security as well as massive corruption and intimidation,” he said.

Mohammad Yasin Azhan, a participant in the Ghor debate, said, “I learned a great deal about tax today. I was also able to put questions to officials and get answers.”

“Women like me have neither financial capital nor any knowledge about how to do business,” said Sharifa, who took part in the Balkh event. “We knew nothing about tax. In this debate, we found out what taxes are and how important they are. Organising such programmes informs our outlook.”

The prison system was discussed at debates in Kandahar, Nuristan and Khost provinces, while in Zabul, Kunar and Nuristan, discussions focused on the performance of the courts. (See also Afghans Turn to Taleban Justice .)

In Zabul in southwest Afghanistan, civil society activist Abdul Razaq Qaisarkhel said that the judicial system was controlled by local powerbrokers and that corruption had spiraled out of control. This had prompted locals to turn to the Taleban’s extrajudicial courts.

“Nobody can ignore the extent of the problems facing the legal and judicial bodies in Zabul province,” he explained. “Judges and lawyers accept bribes. Members of the public are disillusioned with them and so they turn to the Taleban system to resolve their disputes.”

“The gathering today was something I have never seen before,” said Hamza Marwand, a participant in the Kunar debate in eastern Afghanistan. “It was very interesting for me. I was amazed by the discussions about legal organisations. Previously, I knew nothing about penal codes and judicial bodies, but I have learned a lot. IWPR should run many more of these programmes.”

The use of social media was discussed in debates in Daikundi, Nimroz and Balkh provinces.

Rahmatullah Shariati, who heads a network of civil society organisations in Daikundi in central Afghanistan, said, “One can’t deny the impact and spread of social media at global level. Recent political and social revolutions, such as the Arab Spring that led to regime change, were all rooted in the use of social networks.

“As citizens of Afghanistan, we have a responsibility to use social media to post valuable ideas, thoughts and articles on various subject and encourage the Afghan people towards peaceful coexistence, welfare and progress.”

Debate participant Ghulam Asghar Azizi said, “We are grateful to IWPR for raising public awareness by running such programmes. Today’s discussion about social media was very educational for me. I realised that the proper use of such networks is a great way to combat the problems in our society.”

Elsewhere, a cross-provincial debate on gender issues was organised through Skype and video links between Balkh and Kapisa provinces. Participants discussed the common challenges they faced in dealing with women’s rights.

Balkh resident Zakia Khwajazada said forced marriages were on the rise in her province.

“Forced marriages, which have terrible consequences, are higher than the national level. Urban women are aware of their rights to some extent and can defend them, but the problem is different in the villages,” she said.

Khwajazada said many women ended up in jail after being forced into marriage. Afghan women accused of running away from home or refusing to get married are often put in prison for “moral crimes”, a vague concept that does not exist in formal law.

Another participant, Shukrullah Mohammadi, said the situation was similar in rural areas of Kapisa.

“Girls are forced to get married against their will or while they are still underage. In some cases, this causes feuds between families. Expensive bride-payments are also a problem and are a massive economic burden on families,” he said.

“This contact between the two provinces, sharing problems with each other, exchanging thoughts and views, and sharing our feelings, were all very educational for me,” said event participant Murtaza. “The debate was like a lesson for me, because I learned from it. I hope that such programmes will continue so that people become aware of each other’s situations and the sense of brotherhood and coexistence increases amongst us.”

Gender issues were also the subject of a radio call-in show hosted on the private station Radio Pashtun Ghag in Paktika province in the southeast. The hour-long discussion focused on how conservative traditions fuelled domestic violence.

Dad Mohammad Lewal, a guest on the programme, said radio was the best way to get such messages across. Every family had a radio, even in the villages, and both literate and illiterate people listened and learned a great deal from it.

“Women have always been the victims of unhappy cultural traditions,” he added. “Such programmes can help decrease the level of violence against women.”

The debate series is part of an IWPR project called Afghan Reconciliation: Promoting Peace and Building Trust by Engaging Civil Society, and is designed to give people space to talk about ways towards peace and stability.

Meanwhile, people from around the country took part in a workshop entitled Challenges to Peace in Afghanistan at IWPR’s head office in Kabul.

“The discussion was very interesting, because the people who came were from different provinces in all struggling with security problems,” workshop participant Keramatullah Sediqi said. “They had very useful suggestions. I admire this IWPR initiative, because we need peace very badly. We learned investigative skills in the workshop that will help us contribute to the peace process.”