this is our team. has a nervous wait for the ecuadorian government's decision on whether to grant him political asylum sought refuge at its london embassy. egypt's ruling military about to clamp down on the center the iron fist tens of thousands in cairo protests against the generals from the presidential poll results expected this sunday. syria and turkey trying to defuse tensions after a turkish jet was shot down on friday both countries searching for the missing pilot. well next a special report on the trials and tribulations of women in afghanistan as they strive for equal rights.

and. you know should look up and involve. up on. the minds of a lot already. you

have two schools they have that i too would works with what's meant and the mystery is one that woman is asian enjoys i'm sure i'm uncivil to say that there were many factors equal to and felt they were still the work to a lake and even universities did with this is freedoms. that no one respects lozier on the mother all the nation look. on for their own goods for their protection either through all that he wrote above. i don't know if women don't wear their headscarf so they will be harassed raped injured and humiliated. whole there is no longer the gun is the law we have the woman in

parliament we have the woman in media we have the woman in the universe there is we have the woman in the government we have minister. can you imagine that this that the suspect that they had. put their wife they exchange a daughter but that duck just put their plan to have a funny duck and play with that right now. nine percent of. americans is good to university woman out of working by i go out a man and. really they do this is so every two women they are independent economy independent they have some somebody this is maybe one or two press no more most of them when we say that the situation of women in afghanistan has improved you can only take into consideration places such as harrow

to missouri sharif and kabul. in the provinces in the villages the situation hasn't changed on the summit yet women are still victims of violence and rape. good morning i'm laura bush and i'm delivering this week's radio address to kick

off a worldwide effort to focus on the brutality against women and children. to terrorist network and the regime supports in afghanistan the taliban. regime is now in retreat across much of the country and the people of afghanistan especially women are rejoicing and women are the bush administration with blatche on to the issue of the oppression of women now women were oppressed a long time and you never heard anybody talk about it but when the us wanted to invade all the women they cared so much that president. bush because of our recent military gains in much of that in a stand women are no longer imprisoned in their home they can listen to music and teach their daughters without fear of punishment the fight against terrorism is also a fight for the rights and dignity of women the media talking to the whole country

saying how we are going to liberate the women of afghanistan. can liberate their people can liberate. and you certainly can't do it through the barrel of a gun. unfortunately now that the recent permanent civil war that we were once again imprisoned by the fear. and things are going backwards somewhat . when i was fourteen years old now i have six children. are stuff that is twenty four my marriage was like like many at that marriage it wasn't forced marriages but that was arranged marriages i used to say that accidentally one has that this. is what it's supposed to be. he

believes woman strike. this is a juror no less and head out that has been has been stopped the stopped by by by knife because she has a right to you and i democrats young generation that want to play her all and today this command dust off a smile. wanted criminal means and the rest of afghanistan and his puppet of you know as well and and then they beat a knife to a stop not lead the women in the thread due to the shaky situation within the country many of them a journalist and many of them have been assassinated and therefore have paid far too high a price actor west woman who has been my lot like our car in kandahar my john in kandahar. and not beyond jim and head out she gave us some gone much twenty five fearful journalists and couple. there are some end to violence something that

didn't exist before unfortunate few women are beaten the daily and the public mask . a number of digits need to come together and that decided me. because i mean i went to that province and created the show and so now woman. and i we have a protection mechanism there. she could provide safe. for a woman so we cannot control over that woman and i would probably say. you know what you have picked the native place and then ask if if you that mean that. you will give in to a good job but the god. and

right now one of the things we can do is pressure our governments for afghan women to be at the table with any discussions about reconciliation any discussions around really incorporating the taliban back into the government because we believe. cannot truly prosper without the participation its population and that of construction.

only affected social change you can be. the afghans themselves afghan men and women and now you have working for me a shape i try to open for. college of women leadership and afghanistan to teach women to be the leaders of the future of afghanistan we should be going in and providing economic opportunities educational opportunities but it's alternately for the afghan people to determine how their social progress is going to proceed. have rights aren't given they have to be taken have got to the mix so you have asked me if men give women the right to drive a car to join the army or to fight with these other rights that must be taken by a woman who has to drive or get a degree book on

a boy or women can do the same as men because women are capable and jump at the work to look at all these are not rights that men give us but rights that we have to take what some have called a hold is bigger so we need to work with but the man to teach them and problem them that they're right. about a member of their family. because men are but you should make. men are the power. men are who can make change make a difference so you do not work with men so we don't have boys this is if you go what woman to do good will like and for me tonight because you know what i mean spouse if you reason for. afghanistan is not like another. european country to have discovered leaks it encourage a woman. or about what rights and tell her that you have that's your right to have

access to education to go to disco and it's going to look at it jeff in front of her door the husband doesn't allow to buy that i've been allowed to have but the joy from a breeder it gets for me is to. them to don't go to school or university it's kind of the woman who could. it's a little bit like going out into the villages to convince people with regard to birth control what you've really got to do is you've got to get local people local religious leaders and local social workers etc who are going to go out you can have westerners going now and you can have westerners who are have a high profile. in that country because they deal with when the local people go out the local people say you're not here as afghans or as

pakistanis are in the nations you're here because these american christian groups you see are trying to impose on us a social policy that we don't believe in in order to make us weaker you know so we'll have smaller families you know so we won't be as strong as we can be.

she's on a mountain because there are many more hospitals where you can get education about sexual health and family planning things that you couldn't do in the time of the taliban because again in the time of the taliban you couldn't even leave your house with question of the cows. after missing it in. seven years and this family planning. these adult. and every day and warm in hospital in the biz and talk about the family premiums to about the missed abortion to be did i tell you it is not each i.v.

programs every day. the films that i produce some mainly about women's rights. should i tell

stories about the problems that afghan women face in their lives when i do i make different types of films artistic educative documentaries also some adverts. missiles and in reality what i would like to do is work as much as possible for my country for my people because my people have many needs a hope for this reason i also make educated films films that can give them positive messages. as a big i was because she was famous. quote i had you know i had seen her work. i knew who she was but i didn't know her and personality and when i met her i was immediately taken by her character her work her personality.

so we decided to get married i thought also this film was the first bell and head out. but. when but i cannot shooting at that time. in two thousand and two when the taliban with afghanistan i decided mean i must make direct this field so it was difficult for me because nor did he nor you know family. accept to have a doctor or have a wife or be activist to my fellow because they don't like. to be. in a movie and seen the woman one year i'll search for acting. the office house but now. i have the rights to produce what microfilm stright the

ball to the present and another. one today from the exhibition that you see here has fifty exhibits drawn by seven different artists six of these artists a man and one is a woman. again. i'm not sure i've been drawing kerry catchier support ten years i'm not an artist i have a degree in political sciences but i draw in relation to political topics so these particular drawings refer to the current political situation. if nothing. more than all of them even in

afghanistan that we do not want here. it's. been mother figure. afghanistan has never had a character to exit bishan before. it's the first time because obviously it is about works of critical said tire. and unfortunately their ability to accept criticism here in afghanistan most of all in the political field has notably decreased. computer. right now we have a lot of women and girls and favorite students which is true but noticed that we have a family of actor and activist and for me we have fair male musician. farewell . that's. moving ahead.

my name is maria bashir and i'm the chief prosecutor of the herat province. i've had the position for about four years. and it's the first time in the history of ghana system that irresponsibility like this. has been given to her or that her. if you ask me if i'm happy to be born a woman then i'll say yes even if i have to face many problems even if the situation is difficult and it takes a lot of effort in such a traditional society above all be no woman is being conscious of your own rights like my job is to follow criminals in the province and in fifteen districts of.

the departments. that i manage has one hundred employees. of these one hundred employees town they're women and the rest are all men i'm legally responsible i'm the one that coordinates and checks the work so they have to answer to me be capable of following through with their responsibilities and taking orders from you . so it's not easy to understand the courage of these women who put themselves out there and do their best every day. arrived or be paid but if i want to work hard however. people yeah i want to head back. at them my. i like it.

well imagine that huma given my role in the responsibility that i have in my job my life is in danger because i have to deal with criminals day off to date. and for em to government groups it is unacceptable that a woman has such a responsible position. for this reason i am in danger and i have to move about always with an ass court and an armored car. unfortunately things have not changed very much for afghan women when you think of all the blood that has been spilled from two thousand and one to now be able of it and a view of our work but we achieved. insecurity. but to be achieved. poverty.

one of the ways you can judge how the status of women is is looking at the issue. maternal mortality how many women die in childbirth. one out of five afghan women died in childbirth where i think it's one of the highest rates in the entire world it was under the taliban and it continues now. this is the picture of the woman and nineteen young girls one nine hundred sixty so one when they go. to school. and they see how they are free but even with a car they waste a quote and they are going to school going to turn it on if they condition the women has been one of the reasons for military intervention in the country where she so much there are many women but the majority are women who have a political role many of them are linked to fundamentalist groups so i'm going to.

tell her you said there is a high number of women in the afghan parliament. twenty eight percent are women but many of these twenty eight percent belong to the norm you know so about their women it's important delegates or appointed by the warlords or seniority that you send some of their women into government and so. and today's women's point of view. i work in the news editor an office of radio most day and i present a show for women transmitted by the radio station our program talks about different subjects mostly accounts on the condition of women in herat and their activities. are i started working when i was nine years old or fifty years my work has been to weave carpets no hope i have lived too long for six years i have three children two girls and one boy and this is a particularly difficult period for us but that let's talk about the development of

women in society i have complete is a number of cinema to graphic projects. because we have money to be a station money to argue a. t.v. station and argue official and also a newspaper or magazine. monthly. we have money and also a programme about women growth of oklahoma ok and that's why women and people know about their rights laughs yeah and we had more been than nine hundred which came on in coming. in really decided this all the way in fragments woman there are problems that women face not only in hair out about in all of afghanistan . other problems are many for example in families they are victims of violence perpetrated by their fathers husbands and brothers rape cases

is historic i'm not going to stop these dharma stick while it is four years old maybe two and half years old babies five year old babies twelve girls fourteen year old girl take it right. normally if they injure their wife's the husband don't accompany them to hospitals with their companies by the member of their families you know and afghanistan beating your wife beating your family beating your children isn't considered a crime. back to the police reports mainly regard physical violence. right where ever i believe the majority of women i can say ninety nine percent suffer psychological violence but it isn't trip or to. the other day for example i saw a fifteen year old girl who was the second wife of a fifty five year old man. because here ninety nine point nine percent of

all marriages are arranged. cheater she told us that from the day she had my husband he has never taken care of her that he has only beaten her and that she can't make any decisions at all because she was sick and she told us my husband doesn't want me to get better more. but i found woman up on the phone with them. they. get right in the room has been. this. has been right.