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Strengthening labour administration in Afghanistan - Final evaluation

eval_number:

2391

eval_url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/eval/2391

lessons_learned:

themes:

theme:

Gender equality

category:

Conditions of work & equality

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comments:

ILO project and country offices in male dominated societies

challenges:

In general throughout the project, ILO staff had to insist upon women’s involvement; the initiative did not come from local stakeholders. Moreover, the drive to include women in project activities was present in large part due to the efforts of the gender expert in Geneva; there was little evidence of gender mainstreaming on the part of project staff on the ground in Kabul. After facing repeated difficulties in involving women in project activities, the issue was taken up with senior management of the MOLSAMD. Thereafter, there was some improvement.

success:

Other strategies employed were the inclusion of women’s organisations in activities such as law reform and capacity building, the requirement of women’s representation in tripartite consultative bodies, such as the Working Group on Labour Law Reform and the tripartite High Labour Council, and raising awareness about women’s rights through teaching fundamental principles and rights at work, especially non-discrimination and gender equality.

context:

In Afghanistan, women’s participation is limited for a number of reasons. First, women’s mobility is restricted, with women having to travel with a male family member. It is more restricted than in neighbouring Muslim countries, such as Pakistan where women can move around the country alone. This impacted upon women’s participation in capacity building activities located outside of their home city. This was seen in the low female participation rates both in the provinces and in workshops held abroad. Second, low women’s participation in the project activities had to do with the fact of low female representation in the tripartite constituent organisations, including at management levels. This was the case for workers’ and employers’ organisations. And even though the MOLSAMD in Afghanistan has reasonable female representation at management levels compared to other ministries, with female ministers and deputy ministers and high-level policy advisors, overall males outnumber females. Third, there were challenges associated with having women in the same room as men. For instance, during one evaluation focus group discussion, it was difficult to get responses from the one female present because a male would not allow her to speak.

description:

Women’s participation needs to be emphasised in male dominated societies in order to overcome deep-rooted cultural obstacles.

administrative_issues:

Gender equality is always going to be a challenging issue in the regions of South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. This is because of the collision between international gender equality standards and the cultural relativism demanded in such countries for religious reasons. Based on the experience of the SLLGA project, women’s participation in project activities needs to be required – either through a certain percentage or by advocacy at senior management levels in tripartite organisations. If female representation is an issue, members of the women’s movement can be invited to participate. Local gender experts can be vocal in difficult situations in Afghanistan and similar contexts. Other strategies can include raising awareness of the importance of women’s participation in tripartite consultation and social dialogue by requiring women’s representation on the relevant bodies as a means of consolidating democratic processes and participation structures. Raising awareness about women’s labour rights and non-discrimination highlights the reasons for encouraging women’s participation. Firm but gentle encouragement is needed to advance gender equality.

url:

https://webapps.ilo.org/ievaldiscovery/lessons/213366

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location:

country:

Afghanistan

region:

Asia and the Pacific

---

eval_title:

Strengthening labour administration in Afghanistan - Final evaluation