SIMA SAMAR, chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, often mentioned onunofficial "short lists" for the Nobel Peace Prize
Idea: Raise status of women in Afghanistan
Ms. Samar writes: I always fight with people when they say human rights are a Western value. Generally, the understanding of Afghan people is that they are very traditional, tribal, and backward, and so therefore they will always be negative on women's rights. Instead of saying that these people never had a government, we have to look [at] why the people have been like this [and] see that they are also human beings.
If we make our strategies and policies based on the universality of human rights and for the sake of dignity, then we might reduce the mistakes we are making [in Afghanistan]. The problem [with the international community] is that they are looking for an exit strategy, and the excuse of respecting culture has been used in this country for 30 years – it's not new.
Peace cannot happen without respect for human rights and of course participation of women as half of the population. We need to recognize women's existence and include them in all the policies. Not symbolically, but really believe in that and do it.
