Protesting Women Urge Global Community to Pressure the Taliban on the Eve of International Women’s Day
A group of protesting women in Afghanistan, on the occasion of March 8, International Women’s Solidarity Day, issued a statement calling on the global community and international organizations to increase pressure on the interim Afghan government to lift the educational, employment, and social bans imposed on women.
These women emphasized that Afghan women, especially human rights activists, journalists, and protesting women, are facing one of the most severe humanitarian and legal crises in the world.
The statement of the protesting women highlighted that since the Taliban took control, women have been deprived of the right to education, work, freedom of expression, and participation in society. They described the systematic restrictions, widespread violence, and the complete exclusion of women from social, political, and economic spheres as blatant human rights violations and gender apartheid.
The protesting women also called for the creation of safe and legal pathways for the exit and resettlement of protesting women, journalists, human rights activists, and former military personnel, who are facing threats and repression in Afghanistan and neighboring countries.
Over the past three years, the Taliban have imposed numerous restrictions on the citizens of the country, particularly women and girls. These restrictions include banning girls and women from attending schools and universities, as well as from entering sports clubs, restaurants, public baths, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a mahram (male guardian), and working in domestic and international NGOs, including the offices of the United Nations in Afghanistan.
The Taliban have repeatedly claimed that the rights of citizens, including women’s rights, are better guaranteed within the framework of Islamic rulings. However, statistics and international reports indicate that the situation of women in Afghanistan is extremely alarming, and they are facing systemic discrimination and widespread human rights violations.
The protesting women of Afghanistan have urged the international community and organizations to increase pressure on the Taliban to create the conditions for lifting the restrictions and restoring women’s rights. They emphasized that without international support, improving the situation of women in Afghanistan will not be possible.
