Overview
Using videos
from the PBS documentary series Women, War & Peace, students learn about the life of women
in Afghanistan, including progress they have made and the obstacles/dangers
they face. The lesson highlights Afghan
women’s efforts to play an active role in Afghanistan’s peace process and to
empower other women in their country. In the Introductory Activity, students
learn about current dangers faced by women in Afghanistan and actions two
Afghan women are taking to empower other women in their country. In Learning
Activity 1, students learn about the rights of women during and after Taliban
rule and the efforts of Afghan women to play an active role in their country’s
peace process, as well as efforts by the US to support their efforts. In
Learning Activity 2, students explore background information about Afghanistan,
the Taliban and Islam using an online discussion guide. In the Culminating
Activity, students explore efforts women have played in advocating for human
rights and participating in peace building efforts around the world. The lesson
ends with students writing a reflection paper about topics presented in the
lesson.
Objectives
Students will be
able to:
- Explain what the Taliban is and how the
lives of women were restricted under its rule;
- Describe progress women have made since
Taliban rule;
- Describe dangers women currently face in
Afghanistan;
- Discuss steps individual Afghan women are
taking to empower other women in their country;
- Describe why Afghan women felt it was
critical to be involved in Afghanistan’s peace process and steps they took to
make sure they would be part of the process;
- Explain ways in which the United States has
supported the efforts of the women of Afghanistan;
- Describe efforts by women in other
countries to advocate for human rights.
Grade Level:
9-12
Suggested Time
(2-3) 45-minute class periods
Media Resources
Women in Afghanistan Today Video
Life During and After Taliban Rule Video
Fighting to Be Heard Video
Supporting the Women of Afghanistan Video
Materials
For the class:
The “Background Information” section of the Peace Unveiled Discussion Guide.
Note: This discussion guide could either
be used online or printed out for use in Learning Activity 2. During the
activity, the class will be divided into 5 groups and each group will be
assigned to one of the topics in the Background Information section (“History
of Afghanistan,” “Understanding Afghan Culture,” etc.). Print out enough copies
of pages 4-6 in the discussion guide so that each student gets the page that
contains information about his/her group’s assigned topic.
For each student:
One copy of the Facts about Afghanistan Student Organizer
Web Sites
For use in Learning Activity 2:
For use in the Culminating Activity:
Related Resources:
Before The Lesson
The Lesson
Part I: Introductory Activity
- Let
students know that today’s lesson will focus on advances made by women in
Afghanistan, as well as the obstacles and dangers they face. Ask students to
think of rights all men and women have in the United States today. (The right to attend school, vote, free
speech, freedom of religion, etc.)
- Ask
students to locate Afghanistan on a map and to discuss what they know
about the
country and its people. Write their answers on a list for the students
to see. Encourage
students to share what they know about Afghanistan and the rights of
women in
the country. (Possible things to
include
on the list: Islam is the main religion; Women do not have the same
rights as
men; US soldiers are serving in Afghanistan.)
- Explain
that you will now be showing a segment from the episode “Peace Unveiled”
in the
series Women, War & Peace, a program which focuses
on the impact
of war on women and the role of women during war and in helping to bring
about
peace. Let students know that this excerpt highlights the actions of two
Afghan
women, Hasina Safi and Shahida Hussein, to help other women in need in
their
country. As students view the segment, ask them to find out current
dangers
faced by women in Afghanistan and actions that Safi and Hussein are
taking to
empower Afghan women.
- Play
Women in Afghanistan Today. After showing the segment, ask
students
to describe efforts that Hasina Safi and other members of the Afghan
Women’s
Network are conducting to help Afghan women. (They conduct programs for illiterate women.) Discuss the
obstacles
that Safi and her colleagues face. (They
have
received letters telling them to stop teaching and threatening violence
against
them and their families.)
- Ask
students what percentage of women in Afghanistan are literate, based on
information presented in the segment. (The
segment
mentions that about 90% of women are illiterate, meaning that about 10%
are literate. According to a July, 2011 estimate, the actual percentage
of
women who are literate in Afghanistan is about 12.6%).
- Discuss
how Shahida Hussein, the woman’s rights activist featured in the video,
helps
women in Kandahar. (She listens to
their
problems and then meets with judges, court officials, provincial council
leaders and others on behalf of the women.) Discuss dangers faced
by women
in Kandahar. (Working women in
Kandahar
are being assassinated. When women go out in public they are fearful of
being shot.
The women feel powerless and don’t feel like the government is listening
to
them. Corruption is prevalent.)
- Discuss
some of the current rights that women in Afghanistan have which they
didn’t
have under Taliban rule. (They can
appear
in public in many places without burqas, girls can attend school and
women can
work. Women have access to health care, the right to vote and the right
to 25%
of seats in parliament.)
Part II: Learning Activity 1
- Explain
that the next segment describes women’s lives under the Taliban regime.
Ask
students to describe the Taliban. (The
Taliban is an extreme militia group which took control of the government
of
Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 and led a totalitarian dictatorship that
deprived
Afghan women of basic human rights.)
- Ask
students to take notes about what life was like for women during Taliban
rule
and steps Afghan women took to assure a place in the peace process in
Afghanistan.
- Play
the Life During and After Taliban Rule video. After showing the segment, ask students to
discuss what life was like for women during Taliban rule. (Women were imprisoned in their homes and
were not allowed to go to work
or school. They could not go to a doctor without a male relative. Women
were
not allowed to show their hands or faces in public and could be beaten
if they
did. They could be publicly executed for committing adultery or
disobeying
other Taliban rules.)
- Compare
and contrast the life of women under Taliban rule to the life of women
in
Afghanistan today. Discuss rights that women currently have that they
didn’t
have under Taliban rule.
- Ask
students to describe the actions Shinkai Karokhail and others took to
assure
women played a part in the peace process. (They
advocated for the inclusion of more women at the peace jirga (assembly)
being
held by President Karzai. US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton
pressured
Karzai to include more women in the jirga and was able to secure 20% of
the
spots for women. The jirga was the first time Afghan women had been
present at
peace talks with Afghan men.)
- Ask
students to discuss why Shinkai Karokhail and the women of the Afghan
Women’s
Network felt it was critical to have as many women as possible
participate in
the jirga. (To assure that women’s
rights
were not sacrificed by religious conservatives participating in the
jirga.)
- Explain
that the next segment highlights efforts that Afghan women took to
assure that
they had a voice in the government and the peace process. Ask students
to write
down actions the women took to assure that they had a voice in the
process.
- Play Fighting to Be Heard. After showing the video, ask students to discuss
actions
the women took to assure they had a voice in the peace process. (They lobbied the international community to
get women included in the Kabul Peace Conference. They met with
Ambassador Karl
Eikenberry and were able to get permission to send a representative to
make a
3-minute presentation at the conference.)
- Discuss
the message that Palwasha Hassan delivered at the conference and the
significance of her being included in the conference. (She stressed the fact that human rights must
be preserved, as political
and security strategies are implemented. In order for there to be peace,
everyone in society must be protected. Women’s rights and achievements
must not
be compromised in any peace negotiations or peace agreement and women’s
experiences of war and peace building must be recognized in the peace
process.
Hassan is the first Afghan woman ever to address the world from an
Afghan
stage.)
- Discuss the impact Hassan’s comments had
on the final outcome of the conference. (Neither
the US or the international community stipulated that women must take
part in
rebuilding Afghanistan.)
- Explain
that you will now be showing a final video from Women, War & Peace: “Peace
Unveiled.” Ask students to find out how the women feel about
getting
support from the US and the international community, as well as the
efforts the
US is taking to support the women of Afghanistan.
- Play Supporting the Women of Afghanistan. After showing the video, ask students to share information
presented in the video.
Information presented in the segment:- The women of Afghanistan want more
support from the international community.
- US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
sent Ambassador Melanne Verveer (the first US Ambassador-at-Large for
Global
Women’s Issues) to Afghanistan to secure spots for women in Karzhai’s
high
peace council. The women were given only 9 of the 70 seats (approx.
12.9%) on
Karzai’s peace council, which was less than they had hoped for. Warlords
and
religious conservatives dominate the council.
- The UN Security Council adopted a
resolution on October 31, 2000 to urge all countries to include women in
all
conflict resolutions, but women are not present in most peace talks
around the
world.
- Secretary Clinton tells the UN
Security Council that
it is essential that the rights of women in Afghanistan not be
sacrificed as
part of the peace process.
Part III: Learning Activity 2
- Divide the class into five groups. Assign
each group to one of the following topics:
- History of Afghanistan
- Afghan Culture
- The Taliban
- The rights of Women under Islam
- Hamid Karzai
[Note: This will be
conducted as a “jigsaw”-style activity, where each group first learns about one
topic and then the members of each group meet with members from the other
groups to exchange information.]
- Ask students to access the Women, War & Peace: Peace Unveiled Discussion Guide.
- Ask each group to read the section of the
guide that contains information about their assigned topic. (If you are using printouts, give each group
the page that corresponds to its assigned topic: Page 4- “History of
Afghanistan”; Page 5- “Understanding Afghan Culture” and “The Taliban:
Their
Origins and Goals”; Page 6- “Rights of Women under Islam” and “Hamid
Karzai.”)
- Ask students to write a brief summary of
their assigned article in the Facts about Afghanistan Student Organizer.
- After each group has conducted its
research, mix up the groups so that at least one student from each of
the
original 5 groups is represented in each of the new groups. (For
example, there
should be students who read about the history of Afghanistan, Afghan
culture,
the Taliban, the rights of women under Islam and Hamid Karzai in each
group.)
- Ask group members to share information they
learned from their articles with the members of their new groups. Ask
students
to complete their Facts about Afghanistan Student Organizer based on the information they receive from their classmates. At the end of the
discussion all students should have all the rows filled in on their facts About Afghanistan Student Organizer.
- Ask students to discuss some of the new
facts they learned about Afghanistan (including the Taliban and Hamid
Karzai),
Islam and the rights of women.
Part IV: Culminating Activity
- Lead a discussion about the ways in which
Hasina Safi, Shahida Hussein, Shinkai Karokhail are making a positive
difference in the lives of Afghan women.
- Ask each student or group of students to
conduct research about the roles women have played in advocating for
human
rights and/or participating in peace building efforts in a country other
than
Afghanistan. Some possible countries/regions to include are: Rwanda,
Nigeria,
Iraq, Pacific Islands, New Zealand, Somalia, United Kingdom, United
States.
(See the “websites” section for website suggestions for this activity.)
- Ask students to present their findings to
the class.
- As a final activity, ask each student to
write a reflection essay about one of the following quotes (said by
people in
different contexts and time periods) and apply it to themes and
information
presented in this lesson:
- “The education and
empowerment of women throughout the world cannot fail to result in a
more
caring, tolerant, just and peaceful life for all,” Aung San Suu Kyi (1945 - ), Daw
Burmese-Myanmarese dissident and
politician; Leader of National League for Democracy, Nobel Peace
Prize
laureate.
- “There
is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women
and
men alike - than the one which involves women as central players,” Kofi Annan,
Seventh secretary-general of the United Nations, 2001 Nobel Peace Prize.
- “Everybody counts in applying democracy. And there will never be a
true democracy until every responsible and law-abiding adult in it,
without
regard to race, sex, color or creed has his or her own inalienable and
unpurchasable voice in government,” Carrie
Chapman
Catt, Women’s Suffrage Leader.
- “Human progress is neither
automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice
requires
sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and
passionate concern
of dedicated individuals,” Martin
Luther
King, Jr.
- “Lasting change is a series of compromises.
And compromise is all right, as long your values don't change,” Jane
Goodall, Primatologist.
- Ask students to share their reflections
with the class.
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