Safia Ahmed-jan, a provincial director for the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Afghanistan, was shot dead by two gunmen on 25 September in Kandahar. She was a prominent campaigner for women's rights and had been a teacher of girls during the Taliban era, when teaching girls was forbidden. Officials said she was most likely murdered because of her work for women’s rights.
Her death highlights the impact of gun proliferation in Afghanistan, where there are reported to be 10 million small arms in a population of just 23 million.
‘Afghanistan provides a tragic illustration of how gun proliferation undermines governance and human rights,’ said Rebecca Peters, director of IANSA. ‘After decades of war, it is impossible for democracy to take hold unless the flood of guns is brought under control.‘
Guns have come into Afghanistan from many sources since the cycle of conflict started in 1979. Testimonies of survivors of this cycle of violence are collected in a report published in June 2006 by Oxfam International.
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