Press Conference with Soraya Pakzad
by Shaheen
First of all I would like a summary about you and your office and its activities.
As all of you know, I am the director of the Voice of Women Organization in Herat. There are about 150 people working in my office whome are mostly men. We are lacking in skilled women for our key posts and that is why we fill them with men.
What is the news about the rate of divorce in Afghanistan?
The divorce rate has raised due to several reasons. The first reason is that women are more aware of their rights and second because some people have a wrong understanding of democracy and abuse the rights they have.
What have you done for women in general?
Right now we have some committees in the schools for informing the girls and solving their problems.
Can you give some information about the Shelter and the women who live there?
The shelter, which is a place for homeless women, has the capacity for 42 people. But sometimes this number increases to 53 or more.
Don’t you think this shelter can bring some disruption in the families?
Of course not. Because we only accept women who are sent by the Court or Women Affairs Department or women who do not have a place to live after being releated from prison.
What did you do in order to decrease violence against women?
Violence against women is a problem that has had a differing rate during this period. We try to inform women about their rights and beside women men should also be informed.
