Kabul, Afghanistan – The U.S. government’s Promote: Women in Government (WIG) project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) observed the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence yesterday at an event hosted in collaboration with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.

The 16 Days of Activism is an international campaign from November 25 to December 10 to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls.

WIG launched a new anti-harassment campaign for the government workplace at the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. WIG is creating a series of anti-harassment posters using artwork developed by project interns. The posters will feature messages discouraging specific forms of harassment and identify how government employees can report harassment complaints in line with Afghanistan’s Anti-Harassment Law. The posters will be distributed throughout government ministries and independent agencies to promote a work culture free of harassment.

“Through this campaign, let’s say no to extremism, terrorism, violence, and discrimination so that we can provide better education, work, and life to our children in Afghanistan,” said Delbar Nazari, the Minister of Women’s Affairs.

Through WIG, USAID provides a year-long internship to more than 3,000 women to prepare them for government careers. One of these internship graduates, Heala Mulakhial, is now a psychologist at the International Psychological Organization. At the event, she affirmed, “As a successful woman, I thank the USAID Promote: Women in Government project. This project was really a golden opportunity for us”.

WIG is part of the USAID Promote program. Promote consists of four components: leadership development, civil service training, economic empowerment and civil society advocacy. This program already assisted over 60,000 young women across the country. To provide feedback to the Promote program, send an email to KBLPromote@usaid.gov.

With almost $17 billion spent on development programs in Afghanistan since 2002, USAID provides the largest bilateral civilian assistance program to Afghanistan. USAID partners with the government and people of Afghanistan to ensure economic growth led by the country’s private sector, to establish a democratic and capable state governed by the rule of law, and to provide basic health and education services for all Afghans.

• Press Release - USAID and the Afghan Government Promote Anti-Harassment (Dari)