"Where is my name?"; Afghan women's campaign to reclaim identity

In the patriarchal society of Afghanistan, women are usually identified in public places by the names of male family members. Their identity derives from the male members of the family who hold ownership over them. Afghan women spend their entire lives as daughters, sisters, or wives and typically lack personal identity. When a girl is born in Afghanistan, it may take weeks for some families to choose a name for her, and when a woman dies, her husband's name is usually written on her death notice and tombstone. For Afghan men, mentioning the names of female family members in public is considered shameful and even immoral. However, a group of young Afghan women is striving to break some of these old taboos in their lives and help women reclaim their identity. They have launched a campaign called "Where is my name?" aimed at emphasizing this issue and encouraging both men and women to address every woman by her own name from now on. Their first demand is that women should be addressed by their first names and not by their fathers' or husbands' names. They believe that restoring women's names to them in a society where abuse and violence against women is a major problem can be an important first step in encouraging women to claim their rights. Laleh Osmani, a 25-year-old who started this campaign from Herat, tells Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that the goal of this movement is for women to reclaim their "most basic rights." Laleh Osmani, the founder of the campaign, states: "We are fighting for the revival of our names and identities. We want women to be recognized as independent individuals with their own personal identities." Laleh Osmani adds: "In Afghanistan, when a woman dies, her name is not printed on the notice; when a woman marries, her name is not printed on the wedding notice, and even on medical prescriptions, women's names are not written." Tahmineh Rashiq, another founder of this campaign, tells Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that men should be able to mention the names of their mothers, wives, or sisters in public without feeling ashamed. Tahmineh says she and other women are tired of being identified by the names of others. She said: "I am tired of being called the daughter of so-and-so or the mother of so-and-so." The "Where is my name?" campaign has gained support among social media users, both women and men, some of whom use the campaign's logo instead of their own photos. Saadat Mousavi, one of the supporters of this campaign, tells Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: "I have joined this campaign and proudly published my mother and wife's names on my Facebook page." Laleh Osmani says this campaign has even sparked discussions at the national level. She adds: "We launched the campaign in the virtual world and made good use of this opportunity. Now this issue is being discussed in the real world. People and media are talking about it." Many have praised this campaign for raising awareness about women's rights and fighting discrimination, but criticisms have also been raised. Afghan citizens on social media are using this logo to support the "Where is my name?" campaign. For example, one social media user wrote on Facebook: "Is this the main concern of women in Afghanistan? Will calling them by their own names really solve all their problems?" However, the organizers of this campaign argue that women will remain invisible and powerless in society without having their own identity. Since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, Afghan women have been able to reclaim their right to education, voting rights, and the right to work. However, many of them still face abuse and violence in the family environment, which often goes unnoticed. Laleh Osmani hopes that the campaign she started will help other women reclaim their personal identity and can initiate a movement to improve women's lives in various areas.