Nasrin maintains that the Afghan population continues to mistrust police. She claims that the perception persists that the Afghanistan police force is one of the most corrupt in the world. That being said, Nasrin also asserts that there are more shelters being built and that their presence is a great stride forward for Afghanistan.

If, as the New York Times article suggests, there is a interdependent relationship between the increased number of women’s shelters and an increase in trustworthy police officers, how will the Obama administration’s proposal to expand the Afghanistan security force influence women?

The Obama administration seeks to significantly expand the Afghanistan security forces, including both the professional army and national police force. For women in Afghanistan, will this expanded and American-trained security force help protect women who suffer from domestic abuse, or will the high number of trained public authorities prevent women from safely seeking refuge?

Read More on this topic: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/us/politics/19military.html?hp

March 7-9, 2009

Monrovia, Liberia

As part of the celebration for International Women’s Day on March 8, the female presidents of Liberia, Madame Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf and Finland, President Tarja Halonen, have co-convened an international colloquium to discuss women’s empowerment, leadership development, international peace and security. The conference is expected to draw more than 400 international participants and 400 Liberian national participants including female heads of state and government, ministers, CEOs, NGO, community, and religious leaders.  WCI is honored to be participating in the colloquium as invited guests and will also be featured in an interactive talk show discussing WCI’s experiences training female elected leaders and the obstacles they overcome.  Read more about the Colloquium here: http://womenscolloquium.org/col.html