These days, opening the morning news can feel overwhelming. Screens are filled with reports of wars, humanitarian crises, and the devastating impact of violence on women and children. But for Afghan women, these headlines are not distant tragedies—they are lived realities.
I was born in war, and I grew up in war. This is not only my story; it is the story of millions of Afghan women and girls. In a land where the sound of explosions has replaced lullabies, we learned how to rebuild life from the ruins. While the world reads statistics, we bury our children. While the world analyzes conflicts, we lose our homes, our hopes, and our futures. Yet despite all of this, Afghan women continue to stand—not as victims, but as the silent guardians of peace.
War knows the face of women better than anyone. In the absence of security, it is women who pull children from fire and smoke, who lead families when men are gone, and who hold communities together in the harshest conditions. What the world often fails to see is that these same women are also the hidden pillars of peace.
Peace is often imagined as a distant, ideal outcome—a moment when all conflict disappears. But just as wealth is the result of continuous effort, peace is a daily process. Peace is the moment when a mother gives her last piece of bread to her hungry child. Peace is when a woman mediates between two families in conflict. Peace is built through the small yet profound decisions women make every day to keep life moving forward.
This is what the International Women’s Peace Group (IWPG) calls the “mother’s heart”—a heart that continues to beat for the protection of life even in the darkest times. Global experience has shown that when women participate in peace processes, the resulting peace is more sustainable, humane, and just. Women build peace from the ground up—from the home to the community. They are the first to feel the impact of violence and the last to give up hope .
April 26, International Women’s Peace Day, is a day to honor this “everyday peace” and to recognize women as the primary agents of change. Historically, April 26 carries two painful memories
The 1937 bombing of Guernica, where art and humanity burned under the fire of war
The 1986 Chernobyl disaster, where a single mistake plunged a nation into darkness
But women around the world chose to transform this day of tragedy into a day of hope—a day that proves even from the ashes of destruction, a new future can be built .
For Afghan women, April 26 is a powerful reminder:
We are not the silent victims of war; we are the true builders of peace
In a world where new conflicts dominate the headlines every day, Afghanistan must be seen as a symbol of women’s resilience—women who continue to fight for a better future despite unimaginable hardship.
Peace does not begin with political agreements; it begins in the home, in the classroom, and in the gentle lullaby of a mother. If Afghanistan strengthens its education system, improves social and political literacy, ensures women’s participation, and supports civil institutions, peace will no longer be a slogan—it will become a culture .
Years ago, Afghanistan committed to UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. Today, Afghan women deserve to know how the international community plans to uphold these commitments amid political changes
Even with limited resources, Afghan women continue to cultivate peace: teaching children the language of peace, creating dialogue in communities, building solidarity in migration, and amplifying women’s voices through social media
This April 26, let us move beyond the old narrative of women as victims and recognize them as the protagonists of peace—women whose courage, compassion, and resilience form the true foundation of a peaceful world.
Peace begins in your heart and mine. Today, as an Afghan woman, I call on the world:
Listen to the voices of women before war takes away the last opportunities for peace.
Contributor: Simeen Hussaini
Organization: Radio Hamsada and Etifaq News
Peace Media Activist and Afghan Women’s Rights Defender
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