Freeing Afghan Women Will Take More Than Allowing Them to Take off Their Burqua
- © Michele Toomey, PhD • November 28, 2001

The graphic pictures of Afghan women walking around covered and hindered by their burqua is so painful to see, but as they become free to take them off, that may be pain that we don't see. They have not only been forced to be hidden, they have grown accustomed to it and to the violence directed at them as women. What will exposure feel like? Will it feel freeing or frightening?

I would like to address the prospect of fear. These women have been raped, beaten, and even shot, at a moments notice and at a man's whim. They have known slavery and captivity, all because they are women. Now they are going to uncover for all the men to see. How safe is that going to feel? How freeing does that seem? For some, probably not freeing at all, only more frightening at the prospect of such exposure.

If we really do care about the plight of Afghan women, we had better provide them with psychological attention and educate them psychologically, not just academically. They will need to tell their horror stories and be heard and respected as they recount their personal experience with slavery and abuse. They will need to hear each other and be there for each other as they emerge from physical hiddenness.

No other slaves have had the experience of being covered totally by clothing that made them absolutely anonymous. No one woman was distinguishable from another. They truly "all looked alike." Now they become an individual woman and have no protection of anonymity. Of course this is a good thing, but until there has been a transition within each woman from anonymous, hidden enslaved woman to particular, exposed free woman, she will be facing inner demons.

Some women will find it an easy transition, but for many, I believe it will be intimidating and anxiety producing to the point of paralyzing for some. They have known what no other women have known. They have been subjected to a total loss of every right, including the right to physically exist as a distinct woman.

We must provide them with the opportunity to rediscover their own uniqueness and their own power. They must be allowed to discover who they really are and learn how to value it. They must be taught the power of speech and not just the power of physical intimidation and abuse. They must be guaranteed due process for any complaint they might have in the future. If they are not respected once they exercise their power, there must be laws to protect them or they still won't be safe to be themselves. They must trust that it is safe to learn how to be true to themselves in the presence of men.

That certainly means that we must see to it that their environment is safe and that men are punished if they do not abide by the rules of fair play. Laws must speak directly to women's rights and consequences for violating them. This backdrop should strengthen the capacity of the women to gain the psychological courage and confidence to become their own woman.

Liberation is not a simple task for any women in any country or any culture, so it will be extremely complicated and difficult in Afghanistan. I hope we understand the true meaning of humanitarian aid when we begin to offer assistance to the Afghan women. It must include, focus on and emphasize the psychological dimensions of liberation.