During the Taliban era, women had almost no rights and as a result, were subject to unimaginable violence. In a future Afghanistan women will be equal partners in a strong and inclusive civil society. To help them on their journey, CPAU has chosen the sport of boxing to enable these women to send a powerful message: "We are Free, we are Strong, we are Fighting for Freedom - and we choose sport to take this stance in a peaceful way."

Traditionally, boxing is seen as a violent, conflict-oriented sport. The CPAU initiative is aimed not at promoting aggression but in helping these women employ boxing as a means of making them feel empowered and confident. It is also a sport that very strongly tears down the stereotype of the submissive Afghan woman hiding in her blue burqa. It is a tough sport that requires physical and mental tenacity and the ring becomes a metaphor for the challenges faced by the women in their daily lives.

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Afghanistan today is still a challenging place to be a woman. There are many extremists who are actively - and violently - engaged in undermining female education and empowerment. The women who take part in the Fighting for Peace program are determined not to be intimidated and their determination and commitment deserve the highest praise.

A future Afghanistan will benefit from their courage, and from the conflict resolution techniques they are being taught as participants in CPAU's Fighting for Peace program.

Boxing is making a comeback in Afghanistan after it was banned by the Taliban regime from both the public and professional sports arenas. For the first time in the history of Afghanistan, the country also now has an Afghan Amateur Women Boxing Association (AAWBA), financed and established by CPAU in 2007, under the auspices of the Afghan Olympic Federation.

If female boxing is granted Olympic status in 2012 - and all indications are that this is likely - the girls hope to be able to compete.

Between their training sessions, the girls learn modern Peace Building and Conflict Resolution techniques. The aim is to provide the girls with the tools to contribute to creating a progressive culture in Afghanistan based on courageous collective decision-making.

CPAU believes that education and sport combined can be a powerful force for good. Some great success stories have already been achieved.

With this aim in mind they are training hard and they are spurred on by the fact that historically, Afghanistan's male boxers have achieved outstanding Olympic results.

Not only will these Fighters for Peace pack a powerful punch in the ring, but they will be ambassadors of a new and hopeful Afghanistan.

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For further information or queries please contact: info@cpau.org.af