Wazhma

 Frogh  
Afghanistan  -­‐  Independent  activist  
Post  Graduate  Fellow  at  University  of  Warwick  ,  UK  
 
Wazhma   Frogh,   the   recipient   of   the   International   Women   of   Courage   Award,   is   an   advocate   for  
realization   of   women’s   human   rights   in   development   in   Afghanistan.   Frogh   has   devoted   the   last  
decade   of   her   life   to   mobilization   for   social   change   to   benefit   women's   rights   in   Afghanistan,   focusing  
on  such  issues  as  women  and  security,  legislative  reform  including  the  recent  Elimination  of  Violence  
against   Women   Law   and   the   Shia   Personal   Status   Law   in   Afghanistan,   and   women’s   political  
participation.  She  is  a  leading  expert  on  the  issues  of  gender-­‐  based  violence  and  has  worked  tirelessly  
on  the  elimination  of  violence  against  women  in  Afghanistan.    Frogh  started  her  career  at  the  age  of  
17,  working  with  the  most  vulnerable  women  and  children  in  refugee  camps  in  Peshawar,  Pakistan,  
bringing  the  voices  of  the  camps  to  the  national  and  international  arenas  though  her  media  reporting.  
Later   on,   she   stepped   into   women   empowerment   through   community-­‐based   approaches,   and  
mobilized   women’s   development   projects   during   the   Taliban   regime.   While   these   efforts   were  
organized   in   Peshawar,   Pakistan,   Frogh   traveled   frequently   back   to   Afghanistan's   most   insecure  
provinces  to  carry  out  her  work.  
 
After   2001,   she   returned   permanently   to   Afghanistan   and   continued   her   women   empowerment  
efforts  through  working  with  development  projects  with  the  UN  and  international  organizations.  She  
completed  the  first  Gender  Assessment  of  women's  conditions  in  Nuristan,  Afghanistan  during  2002,  
just   after   the   formal   fall   of   the   Taliban   government.   She   supported   the   establishment   of   Women  
Development  Centers  in  four  provinces  of  the  country,  including  Kandahar,  Ghazni,  Herat  and  Parwan  
provinces,  mobilizing  women  and  creating  leadership  and  livelihood  opportunities.  In  2006-­‐2007  her  
efforts  reached  more  than  215  local  organizations  in  different  parts  of  the  country  to  create  gender  
sensitive   development   interventions   under   the   Initiative   for   the   Promotion   of   Afghan   Civil   Society  
with   Counterpart   International.   She   has   also   worked   with   international   donors   in   Afghanistan   to  
direct  funding  and  resources  towards  effective  women  rights  projects  and  provided  strategic  direction  
in  that  regard  to  CIDA,  Canadian  International  Development  Agency.  
 
Frogh  also  has  vast  specialized  training  and  experience  in  gender  and  peace  building  in  Afghanistan.  
She  has  participated  in  the  Women  and  Public  Policy  Program  at  Harvard  University  and  the  Law  and  
Leadership  Program  at  George  Washington  University,  both  in  the  United  States.  
 
Frogh’s  professional  career  is  complemented  by  her  volunteer  civic  engagement.  She  has  volunteered  
her  time  to  the  International  Rescue  Committee  in  Pakistan,  and  serves  as  a  Member  of  the  Afghan  
Women's   Parliamentary   Network   and   the   Afghan   Women’s   Network.   Wazhma   Frogh   has   been  
working  with  civil  society  of  Afghanistan  in  the  past  years  to  mobilize  them  for  advocacy  and  lobbying  
for   women's   and   children's   rights.   She   led   an   advocacy   group   of   over   35   local   and   international  
organizations  in  Kabul  to  advocate  against  child  abuse  and  child  rape  in  the  country  and  has  taken  the  
issue  to  the  national  government  to  take  effective  measures.  This  group  pressured  the  government  to  
take  more  effective  and  aggressive  action  on  child  rape  and  to  examine  the  hidden  realities  of  child  
sexual  abuse  that  is  still  considered  to  be  a  cultural  taboo  in  Afghanistan.    
 
A  frequent  representative  and   spokesperson  to  the  regional  and  international  arenas,  Ms.  Frogh  is  an  
outspoken   advocate   on   improving   women’s   participation   in   the   peace   processes   and   conflict  
resolution   mechanisms   in   Afghanistan   and   recently   has   been   selected   to   participate   in   a   series   of  
regional  peace  dialogues  between  Afghan  and  Pakistan  women  to  discuss  common  areas  of  concern  
and  activism  for  regional  security  and  stability.