Women Politicians

A Rose in the
Garden of Democracy

Like a fresh spring blossom growing swift and wholly in an adolescent garden of democracy, Miss Fawzia Koofi, a modern thinker, poet and the Second Deputy of the Afghanistan Parliament, can be describe as a symbol of women in a men-dominated society who can reach occasionally more than men, the highest level of patriotism and sincerity.

In point of fact, in Afghanistan a woman is always recognized as half a man, although all of a sudden, we have realized that this traditional slogan is totally false. Afghan women have showed their bravery after the establishment of the new democratic government.

Now and then, some Afghan politicians will blame only the Taliban for keeping women in the rear, however in reality Afghanistan’s history is full of gender discrimination.
After the removal of Taliban our minds changed about women. In the seven years of the new regime, we have been witnessing some women who play extremely important roles in our political life.

Ms. Fawzia Koofi, 32, a single mother of two young children is one of those women whose energetic human right activities complement her high-ranking official position. Ms. Koofi was elected as a representative of parliament on September 18, 2005, from Badakhshan in northern Afghanistan.


Ms. Koofi, an imperative political woman, not only exposed many crimes against women that are never mentioned by anyone, but she is the first person who stands for justice and raises her voice whenever things go wrong.

Last year, Ms. Koofi was the first person that visited Kabul Women Prison and lifted the veil on sexual abuse of women prisoners inside Kabul central penitentiary. Miss Koofi broadcast the news of women prisoners being sexually abused by official guards, which shocked the whole country and created a big argument in the local media.

In her own words, Ms. Koofi is a victim of war who lost her father and her young husband. Koofi graduated from Preston University of Pakistan and received her degree in Business and Management then she returned to Badakhshan during the Taliban regime where she managed an orphanage for a Norwegian humanitarian organization. Before getting elected to Parliament, Ms. Koofi was employed by UNICEF as a Child Protection Officer from 2002 through 2004.

In January 2006, she traveled to America and met with US First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush and Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. The International Development Research Center, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, also invited Ms. Koofi for a study tour of Canada in March 2008.

As an outstanding human rights supporter, Ms. Fawzia Koofi’s first subjects are always women issues in every roundtable discussion, national and international conferences that she attends. She fights a non-violent war against discrimination and inequality.