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.
Mahnaz Afkhami and Mehrangiz Kar, lawyer and human rights activist, speak with BBC Persian about women’s political participation in Iran on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of being accorded their right to vote.
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.
Women’s organizations in Iran were commonplace in the period before the Islamic Revolution and largely run by women volunteers who served in the early fifties [text continues in Persian]….
What hides behind gender-based violence is often a patriarchal society, where the struggle for equality can seem impossible.
As an Iranian, Mahnaz Afkhami understands this. In the 1970s she was named one of the world’s first-ever ministers of women’s affairs. She succeeded in changing the conditions for Iranian women, including investments in child care and paid maternity leave. Then came the revolution. [Text continues in Swedish...]
Persian text
Whether in exile in refugee camps, in prisons inside Iran, or working late into the night sending their messages around the country and across the world, women in Iran have not yielded to oppression. Their mobile phones, web sites and blogs carry their words across the nation and throughout the world. Their voice resonates with others who rise up in their support. They are at the forefront of the green movement for change. They know they can change their country and they say “Yes, we will.”
BBC Persian Hardtalk / By Enayat Fani Afkhami looks back on the complex issues of advancing women’s rights in Iran: from her time working as Minister for Women’s Affairs in pre revolutionary Iran, and using economic development goals as a way of advancing the status of women and promoting reform of family law. BBC Persian [...]
On November 6, Ms. Afkhami was featured on Mehdi Falahati’s Persian-language program “Rou dar Rou” (Face-to-Face), produced by Voice of America. During the interview she discussed her professional journey, as well as the role of women in Iran’s democracy movement and their use of ICTs to take their message to the international community.
Público / Por Margarida Santos Lopes
Ms Afkhami details the interrelation between her career and the recent history of the women’s rights movement in Iran. The latest post-election protests leave her optimistic about the battle for freedom and justice. She believes that history is on the side of women.
A lifetime advocate for the rights of women, Mahnaz Afkhami works with activists across the world, especially in Muslim majority societies, to help women become leaders. She is Founder and President of Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights, Development, and Peace (WLP), Executive Director of Foundation for Iranian Studies...more
Monday, June 10, 2013