Shazia Z. Rafi

Parliamentarians for Global Action

Shazia Z. Rafi is, since 1996, secretary-general of Parliamentarians for Global Action,
an association of more than 1,300 individual legislators from 118
national parliaments. PGA programs promote peace, democracy, justice
and sustainable development around the world. As a direct
implementation of the Beijing Platform of Action, PGA became the first
parliamentary organization to appoint a woman as secretary-general and
to amend its constitution with a 60:40 gender rule for executive
committee elections. She writes this essay as her personal commentary,
not as a PGA representative.

Democracy: Always Good for Women’s Rights?

Shazia Z. Rafi

The general view in academic circles is that democracy should provide for enhanced civil, political and personal rights. But for the women of Afghanistan, the impending presidential elections are already beginning to restrict theirs.