New Safe and Peaceful Parks Welcome Women in Conservative Kabul

Afghanistan’s war-torn Kabul has been renovating its public parks and gardens in recent years with a special focus in mind: making them safer and more accessible to women.

The conservative city – 75% of which is informally settled – faced four decades of war, destroying much of the city and traumatizing its citizens.  But non-profit Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is working with the city to upgrade Kabul’s largest park, the 12.5-hectare Chihilsitoon Garden, along with its surrounding neighborhood.

“These parks and gardens are important social spaces. For a war-torn society, these gardens can help heal the wounds and scars in the human psyche as well as in the urban fabric of the city,” says AKTC General Manager Luis Monreal.

Women in Kabul have been vulnerable to harassment and are traditionally housebound, but the city is working on changing that, with Kabul Mayor Ahmad Zaki Sarfaraz committed to providing women better access to public spaces. “The safety and security of women and children is very important, and our plan is for a gender-based development of Kabul city,” he says, adding, “We want to encourage women to come out of their homes, walk on the streets, go to the parks and markets, and have access to all city facilities in a safe and secure manner.”