BY KIRA C. ELBOW PARK SCHOOL, GRADE SIX OCTOBER 7 TH 2009 How would the Famous Five Approach Subservience of Women and Girls in Afghanistan?

My Question My question is “How would the Famous five approach subservience of women and girls in Afghanistan? How would I deal with it?” This question is without doubt not easy to answer. It required a lot of research and lots of thinking. I had to dig deep inside of me to find how I would solve the problem and how I wanted to change it. Suddenly I found myself longing for the Famous Five’s help.

Introduction In this presentation you will gain knowledge of the women of Afghanistan and how the Famous Five would deal with this country’s problem. I have related the Famous Five’s achievements to how they would solve Subservience in Afghanistan. I will add how I would approach the issue, and the steps I would take. I hope you appreciate this PowerPoint.

Life in Afghanistan Life in Afghanistan is tough for all women and girls. When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, women were treated worse than ever. Women were not allowed out of the house to go to work, school, or do any thing in public. If it was necessary for them to go outside, they had to be covered from head to toe in a burqa as you see in the picture. (

Life in Afghanistan The men were allowed to work and be the breadwinner of the family, but some men couldn't find work at all. Those families were the ones you see in pictures all huddled on one blanket fighting to survive with little to no food and water. Some men chose to go to war instead of living home and working. These men spent their time fighting for their country, and their life. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taliban)

Rule of the Taliban The Taliban are the people that make the laws in Afghanistan. The Taliban movement went from 1996 to 2001.They now are fighting against all the armies from across the world. They think what they are doing is how the whole world should be doing things. The Taliban are reluctant to share their power with anyone. Their armies are fighting against equal rights for women and other Afghan citizens. (

Unjust Treatment of Afghan Women The oppressive Taliban regime is causing women’s subservience. Afghan women and girls are being carelessly treated. For example, about a month ago, three girls were poisoned to death for just daring to go to school. They were not supposed to be at school and this has happened many times before. Over millions of girls and women have been brutally killed by the Taliban since (

A world wide Problem A few days ago, Steven Harper talked about women's rights in Afghanistan. “Canada remains committed to its mission in Afghanistan,” he said strongly about the new Afghanistan legislation that limits women's rights there. The new family laws in Afghanistan states that it is illegal for women to leave their house with out permission from their husband, and women do not have custody of their children. Steven Harper hopes to help solve the problem.

What is wrong that should be Fixed Women are being treated like dirt. They can not vote, work, or choose partners in marriage. Girls schools have been burnt down, eighty-seven percent of Afghan women are illiterate, girls are sprayed with acid for going to school and they are beaten and killed in public for breaking the rules. This awful behavior is performed by the Taliban. We have tried to do something about this in the past, but nothing will convince them. Lets look at how the Famous Five would try and change the society in Afghanistan.

Who were the Famous Five in Canada? The Famous Five were a group of women who fought to give women rights. Nellie McClung: Argued to get women the vote and succeeded. Louise McKinney: Organized the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

Who were the Famous Five in Canada? Henrietta Muir Edwards: Was president of the YWCA and was an activist for women's suffrage. Emily Murphy: Fought to make women persons and achieved her goal. Irene Parlby: created the Dower Law and was the first female cabinet minister.

Famous Five in Afghanistan If the Famous Five were here today they would deal with the problem in a way relating to the women’s suffrage case. I think that they would strive to give women equal rights in the society of Afghanistan. They would achieve this through getting support from Canadian militaries. They would have to promote their cause in public with protection from the military because of the Taliban.

Right to Education If the famous five were here and could give women in Afghanistan the right to education, they would. They would talk to the board of education in Canada and tell them things are not right in Afghanistan. The board of education would hopefully agree and they would start a petition in Canada declaring women the right to education in Afghanistan.

Right to Education If the board of education did not agree, the five would have to go to the Prime Minister, Steven Harper. If he agreed, and was eager about it, they could have a country wide vote to declare that women in Afghanistan get the right to education. With defense from the military, they could hopefully break down the Taliban, and give women in Afghanistan a better place to live in. It would take a lot of time and hard work, but in the end would be worth it.

Equal work for Equal pay For women in Afghanistan to receive equal pay for equal work, the Famous Five would maybe discuss the problem privately in small groups like at their pink teas. They would have to promote their cause by writing about it in a newspaper or talking to people about it on television. They would need many people to back them up on this, and in any case, will need a lot of support from the Canadian militaries.

How would I Approach it If I had to solve subservience of women and girls in Afghanistan, I would talk to people about it first. I would talk to people in my country (Canada), and talk to friends and family. I would organize a fundraiser to raise money for women in Afghanistan. I would donate the money to a charity that helps Afghan women survive in their harsh society. I would start a petition in Canada to give women the same rights as men, and the freedom to vote and disagree.

How would I Approach it I would also state my point through a newspaper article, declaring that it is wrong for women to have no rights or freedoms whatsoever. I would make it clear that we need to try harder to give women those rights and they need to be equal to men. Right now, women are not considered “persons” in Afghanistan, because the Taliban thinks women can not do the same thing as men.

How I Would help I would help by continuing to give and raise money to charities to make sure women get the same rights and freedoms as we have now in Canada. Things were not as bad for women in Canada back before the Famous Five as they are for Afghan women now! Isn’t that terrible? I hope that one day in the future things will be so much better for the Afghan women.

Conclusion Q: How would the famous five approach subservience of women and girls in Afghanistan? A: Through many ways, but one main way. Never giving up. I hope you enjoyed this PowerPoint, and learned many new things. I hope you are even more aware of how women are being treated in Afghanistan. Thank You

Sources Her Story Women from Canada’s Past By Susan E. Merritt The Kids Book of Great Canadian Women By Elizabeth Macleod interveiw.htlm?ref=rss interveiw.htlm?ref=rss Feminist.org/afghan/taliban_women.asp