Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani has nominated a female judge Anisa Rasouli, the head of the Afghan Women Judges Association and a former juvenile court judge, to sit as a judge on the nine-member bench of the country’s highest court.
The nomination requires approval by parliament and is part of the government’s efforts to promote more women to high-profile positions.
The speech comes two days after Ghani met with a technical committee advising him on how Afghanistan should implement U.N. Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for greater representation of women in political and peace processes. Ghani has also said that women should have access to a legal documentation, like birth and marriage certificates and should have rights to divorce, to inherit and to get an education.
Ghani has already appointed six women to governmental positions, including two female governors in two provinces. He has also directed all ministries to appoint female deputy ministers.
These moves have been welcomed by human rights campaigners but have been criticized some Islamic scholars in a country that is said to be very conservative.
