Noorjahan Akbar, 19, founder of rights group Young Women for Change is a huge inspiration to me. She’s taking on the taboo issue of street harassment in Afghanistan and as a first step, she organized a successful march of 50 women and men in Kabul on Thursday, garnering worldwide media attention.
She is a prime example of how most activism on this issue is by young women, the ones who are most impacted by street harassment. Young women around the world are learning to not be silent, to not ignore street harassment any longer, but rather to speak out and demand it’s end, even in a country deemed the least safe for women.
“The idea behind street harassment is that women should not be out of their houses,” said organizer Noorjahan Akbar, 19, founder of rights group Young Women for Change.
“We want to fight that mentality because we believe that these streets belong to us as much as they belong to the men of this country,” adding that she herself had suffered harassment so persistent it made her reluctant to walk anywhere.
International attention has often focused on the most extreme attacks on women’s freedom, including acid attacks on girls walking to school and mysterious gas poisonings at several girls’ schools, including in Kabul.
But Afghan women say they face a barrage of lower level persecution that can make daily life a challenge.”
Akbar graciously agreed to answer a few more questions about the march and efforts in Afghanistan to stop street harassment, including what people outside the country can do to support their efforts.
1- Stop Street Harassment (SSH): What was the mood of people who participated in the march?
Noorjahan Akbar (NA): The women and men who participated were very energetic despite the fact that the weather was hot and we were stared at in every step. Every one of us felt empowered by having other people by our side. It was so thrilling to see that none of us are alone in this fight and we are willing to stand up for each other.
2 – SSH: What were some of the messages on the signs people carried?
NA: “These streets are mine too.” “We will not tolerate harassment.” “Harassment is a sin and against the law.” “Islam forbids men from insulting women.” “We are equals. Treat us with respect.” “I have the right to walk freely in my city.”
3 – SSH: How did passersby respond or react?
NA: Most of the people who saw us were shocked given that they didn’t expect women and men to go out and speak about such a thing. Sometimes, they would call us names but the moment we would turn a camera towards them they would stop. Everyone stared at us. There were many who supported, asked questions, distributed copies of our flyers and walked with us as well.
4 – SSH: Do you feel the march accomplished your goals you had going into it?
NA: Definitely. We had a lot of press coverage. a large group of men and women showed up. the police’s performance in protecting us from harassment, stopping cars and blocking the streets was amazing. We wanted our campaign to be the start of a dialogue about sexual harassment and a step towards recognizing street harassment as a problem. Media helped us fulfill this goal.
5 – SSH: Do you have any other plans for addressing street harassment? If so, what?
NA: We are planning a press conference on the importance of media’s advocacy against street harassment in about two weeks. We also are working on a city-wide research in September during which thousands of women and men will be surveyed on how prominent the problem is in Kabul.
6 – SSH: What do you recommend people in Afghanistan do to help with this issue?
NA: We want everyone to begin talking about street harassment as a problem. We want women to take the harassers to police. We want the media to stop lending their microphones to religious leaders who blame women’s clothing for harassment and begin a dialogue where men, who harass women, are held responsible for it, not the women, who are victims.
7 – SSH: What would you like to see people who live outside Afghanistan do to help your efforts?
NA: Advocate for us using social media and public media and contribute to YWC and Hadia to help us become sustainable as a movement for progress in Afghanistan.
