Mahnaz Afkhami

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Last Female Minister: Khomeini Introduced the Sexual Apartheid, but Iranian Women Are Successfully Fighting Against It

Monday, June 10, 2013

The pattern after the “Arab Spring” resembled very much the trajectory of the Iranian revolution, where liberal and progressive forces brought support and success to the uprisings but the better networked, resourced, and organized fundamentalist forces succeeded in taking over the governments. Women in Iran and in the Arab world sought progress, equality, and rights. The story is not finished yet. Regressive forces simply cannot sustain themselves over time in this stage of human development.

Arab Spring, Iran Women's Movement, Muslim Women

Iranian New Year 2013: Celebrate These Persian Women Who Have Fought For Equality

Monday, March 25, 2013

The first day of spring marks the beginning of a new year, or Norooz, in Iran...Here is a round-up of just a few fantastic female activists who have contributed significantly to the advancement of women’s rights and stature in the world. These ladies give the nation, the region, and, indeed, the entire world hope for meaningful and lasting change.

Iran, Iran Women's Movement, Women's Human Rights Movement

The Word on Women-cultural barriers to women as peace builders

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Culture is not always worth preserving. This sentiment was echoed throughout the panels and workshops at "Breaking Barriers: What it will take to achieve security, justice and peace," a recent conference at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of San Diego. The three-day conference drew 150 delegates, mostly women, from nearly 50 countries to discuss working solutions for developing sustainable peace.

Conferences, Culture, Culture of Peace

Victories Over Violence: Ensuring Safety for Women and Girls

Monday, October 1, 2012

Victories Over Violence: Ensuring Safety for Women and Girls A Practitioner's Manual 2012/Women's Learning Partnership Mahnaz Afkhami & Haleh Vaziri Victories over Violence: Ensuring Safety for Women and Girls is a practitioners' manual, comprised of 16 sessions. Case studies in each session are drawn from actual events and feature stories set in societies as diverse as Haiti, Malaysia, Nepal, and the United States.

Violence Against Women

VOA Extended Profile: Historical Context for The Women’s Movement in Iran, and the life and work of Mahnaz Afkhami (In Persian)

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

این برنامۀ مستند و نیم ساعتۀ صدای آمریکا به زندگی نامۀ مهناز افخمی اختصاص دارد و درعین حال به مروری بر بافتار تاریخی جنبش زنان ایران که در آستانۀ انقلاب مشروطیت در اوائل قرن بیستم آغاز شد، به تدریج توان یافت و در مراحل گوناگون به ثمر رسید. در ده سالی که وی در مقام دبیرکل سازمان زنان ایران خدمت می کرد، و به ویژه در سه سال عضویت اش در کابینه به عنوان وزیر مشاور در امور زنان- مقامی که تا آن هنگام در هیچ یک از کشورهای خاورمیانه و آفریقای شمالی وجود نداشت- زنان ایران در احقاق حقوق و آزادی هایشان در همۀ عرصه های زندگی سیاسی و اجتماعی و خانوادگی به دستاوردهای بی سابقه رسیده بودند. این برنامه، در روایتی مصور، رویدادهای عمدۀ زندگی شخصی مهناز افخمی را به عنوان همسر، خواهر، مادر و مادر بزرگ نیز ترسیم می کند. از دوران کودکی تا دوران دشوار تحصیل و کارِ همزمان در ایالات متحد، از کوچ ناخواسته از وطن تا بازسازی زندگی در غربت The half hour video provides the historical context for the women’s movement in Iran from its early beginnings just before the constitutional revolution of 1906 through the efforts at networking and organizing to promote girls education in the 1930’s, women’s political rights in the 1950s and 60s, and finally reform of the family laws in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The documentary focuses on the life and work of Mahnaz Afkhami, especially her ten-year tenure as the Secretary General of the Women’s Organization of Iran and her three years in the Iranian cabinet as the first Minister of Women’s Affairs in the Middle East and North Africa Region, to examine the achievements of women during this period while presenting a portrait of Afkhami as wife, sister, mother, and grandmother.

VOA

For Muslim Women, A Careful Script to Combat Violence

Monday, September 17, 2012

“When I was conceptualizing (WLP's first) leadership manual many years ago we thought once the English prototype was tested in various settings, each country would choose local narratives to replace the international ones,” Afkhami said. “Much to our surprise, everyone wanted to keep most of the scenarios from other places because of just that fact. They all wanted to engage in specific problem-solving with an understanding of the similarities in the condition of women across cultures.”

Culture of Peace, Egypt, Violence Against Women

Women Deliver 2013 Conference

Tue, May 28, 2013

Mahnaz Afkhami spoke on several panels at the Women Deliver 2013 Conference. Women Deliver is the largest global event of the decade to focus on the health and empowerment of girls and women. Thousands of participants from around the world, including government leaders, policymakers, healthcare professionals, NGO representatives, corporate leaders, and global media outlets. Strategising [...]

Conferences, Democracy, Violence Against Women, Women's Human Rights Movement

Grassroots Approach to Ensuring Safety for Women and Girls

Fri, May 17, 2013

Grassroots educational endeavors must help communities fully grasp the extent of violence and the short- and long-term harm done not only to victims but also to the society at large.

Violence Against Women

Are Women Leaders Less Corrupt, No But They Shake Things Up

Tue, Dec 4, 2012

It is almost a cliché that getting more women into power is a good way to tackle corruption. Women, the argument goes, are less likely to take bribes or put personal gain before public good. But is it true?

Political Participation, Power