For Immediate Release
Contact: Amber Khan, Senior Director of Communications 202.521.9607
Women for Women International (WfWI) issued the following statement regarding the killing of Farkhunda at the Shah do Shamshira shrine in Kabul.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015 (Kabul, Afghanistan) – “As we mourn the brutal killing of Farkhunda, we stand in solidarity with fellow Afghans and echo calls for President Ghani to ensure that Farkhunda’s murder is fully investigated and that the perpetrators are held accountable. She was an educated woman and a respected religious scholar who used her voice in the public square. The violent and heinous attack that has sparked outrage does not represent the future of Afghanistan, but a turning point.
“On Sunday, our Social Empowerment Manager Frozan Marofi was one of the 35 women who defied local traditions and carried Farkhunda in the funeral procession. Frozan’s courage, faith and desire for justice guided her actions because in her words, ‘Farkhunda is every Afghan mother, daughter and sister.’ On Tuesday morning our staff joined thousands of Afghans in Kabul to rally and march for justice and security. And today in Washington, our local colleagues will join the rally in front of Congress to carry that message forward. The courage of the Afghan women who refused to allow men to carry Farkhunda’s body to the burial site continues to galvanize the call around the world for justice and security for all Afghans.
“Online and in the streets, we see an awakening in civil society that is rejecting violent extremism and manipulation of faith. The response to Farkhunda's murder and calls for justice are an important reminder that the forces that claimed Farkhunda’s life are not the future of Afghanistan. Afghans value building a society that engenders equality, provides security and protects all of its citizens.”
Since 2002, Women for Women International - Afghanistan has worked and served nearly 100,000 marginalized Afghan women providing critical education, resources and vocational training to support their empowerment. With training centers in Kabul as well as Parwan, Kapisa, and Nangarhar provinces, WfWI-Afghanistan is committed to supporting the engagement of marginalized women across the country and working to engage men. Stories of the resilient and courageous women who have graduated can be found at http://ift.tt/1bvfje5.
About Women for Women International
Since 1993, Women for Women International (WfWI) has provided women survivors of war, and conflict with resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency. WfWI delivers these resources through a tiered, yearlong program that begins with direct financial aid and emotional support. Participants also learn about their legal rights; receive life-skills training such as health awareness, numeracy, budgeting and saving, decision-making and negotiation, and civic participation; learn business and vocational skills; and gain access to income-generating activities where they can apply those skills and begin moving towards economic stability. Along with helping more than 420,000 women in the past 20 years to rebuild their own lives and those of their families and communities after war, WfWI uses its voice to call global attention to the unique role that women play in advancing peace throughout society. WfWI works in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Sudan.