A number of women's activists in norther Afghanistan gathered on Tuesday for a conference in Mazar-e-Sharif where they called on the government to dedicate greater resources and focus to providing security for women in the upcoming elections.
The activists, on the first day of the two-day conference, said the existence of Illegal Armed Groups (IAGs) would be one of the biggest challenges in the way of holding smooth Presidential and Provincial Council elections in the spring.
Many experts have expressed the concern that female voters would be the most disinclined to show up to the polls in April due to security threats. What's more, the lack of female security personnel to provide security checks for women at the polls has proven another obstacle to ensuring large female turnout.
"I hope women participate in the election, because their votes are decisive," female activist Ziagul told TOLOnews.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has reported registering over three million Afghans this year, around 30 percent of which are said to be women.
"We believe that eection would not be transparent without the participation of women and our vote is critical, so we tried find some solutions and have some offers for the international community and government," another female activist named Huma Safi said.
The activists called security, existance of illegal armed groups, corruption and election officials holding ties to candidates as the major obstacles to legitimate elections.
The conference also asked religious scholars to direct people to fulfill their social resposblities under the regulations of Islam and participate in the elections.