Afghan Women Are Not Allowed To Use Their Own Names In Public. This Campaign Is Changing That
It is shown that men who abuse women, sexually or through physical violence, often do it when they believe that their control or power is being challenged, and it needs to be reinstated in a way they know best – through force. The act makes them feel in charge and powerful, it helps them see themselves as victims who were wronged or disrespected or better yet, insulted by the actions of a woman. And while one may read that and think those reasons, the ones that caused the insult might perhaps be an ego bruise from a woman challenging the man, or speaking up against a wrong. But it’s not as extreme as that. It could be as small yet life altering as sharing one’s name with a doctor who is treating you.
A woman (let’s call her Rabia for the story), after having experiencing fever visited a doctor to get herself checked and found out she was Covid positive. Upon reaching home, as she handed her prescription to her husband, her name was written on it and the fact that she dared tell it to her doctor, sparked agony in her husband who then beat her ruthlessly. Alas, not an uncommon incident there with the women either.
It is no hidden fact that women in Afghanistan are but mere props, leading their lives at the mercy of men, who take every decision for them. The lack of women’s rights, and the violation of those that were surprisingly present, have all ended up stripping women of even basic rights. And we say this after finding out how, sharing your name with a stranger if you’re a woman, is cause enough to get thrashed by your husband in the country.
Answering the old and famous wonderment put across by William Shakespeare, ‘what’s in a name?’, the answer is a person’s identity and entire existence. Both of which have been shamelessly taken away from women, so they spend their days namelessly in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan. Where is my name? Women have 'no identity' from age 10
But some women fight to change that indignity.https://t.co/skC0mcMqwG
— CRC4D Jaap van der Straaten https://mastodon.world (@CRC4D) August 18, 2020
Also Read : This Minor Girl From Rajasthan Committed Suicide After She Was Raped. The Accused Is Identified And Is On The Run.
In fact, as it turns out, using your name in public if you’re a woman is frowned upon and can be considered an insult. Which is why, several Afghan men are reluctant to say the names of their sisters, wives or mothers in public for whatsoever purpose. So much so, their names aren’t even printed on their wedding invitation, on their death certificates or even their tombstones.
Women are generally only referred to as the mother, daughter or sister of the eldest male in their family, and Afghan law dictates that only the father’s name should be recorded on a birth certificate. And even though this is how most women have been born and died in Afghanistan, the new age women are not ready to live an anonymous life anymore.
Starting a campaign with a slogan, ‘Where Is My Name?’, Laleh Osmany decided it was time for change. She realised how not being able to use her own name felt like the biggest form of oppression to her. She said, “The campaign is getting one step closer to achieving its goal of persuading the Afghan government to record the mother’s name on a birth certificate.”
"Where Is My Name?" is a campaign by women in Afghanistan to be able to freely use their names in public. "Women are generally only referred to as the mother, daughter or sister of the eldest male in their family…" https://t.co/zE8C4S3hSl
— Paul Guinnessy (@PaulGuinnessy) July 27, 2020
Trying to get the Afghanistan Central Civil Registration Authority (Accra) to look into the possibility of amending the country’s Population Registration Act that would in turn allow for names of women to appear on their children’s ID cards and birth certificates, these women are stirring up change. Fawazia Koofi, an Afghan former MP also spoke on the matter and said, “The matter of including a woman’s name on the national ID card in Afghanistan is not a matter of women’s rights – it’s a legal right, a human right. Any individual who exists in this world has to have an identity.”
Although late to realise that, we are glad that the movement is gaining momentum and striving towards bringing a change that is going to be one of the biggest milestones in the country for its women.
