AWCC Calls for Establishing Interim Gov’t amid Increasing Taliban Bans on Women

The Afghan Women Coalition for Change (AWCC) has called on all stakeholders to work on an “interim set up of government” in the face of increasing bans imposed by the Taliban against women’s rights to education, work, and freedom.

“We believe until political echo-system doesn’t change, we can’t expect any major improvement in the situation of women and Human rights,” the AWCC said in a statement issued on Saturday, December 24. The Coalition noted that the interim administration should be inclusive and work until the ground is paved for conducting elections in Afghanistan.

The coalition is making such a call at a time that the Taliban are ruling across Afghanistan. Over the past few days, the group has imposed bans on women’s university education, closed all educational centers for female students, and banned women from working for national and international NGOs.

“To restore and reinstate trust in the international legal framework, the international community has a responsibility to act decisively to counter such regression on women’s rights,” the AWCC said in this regard.

Referring to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as the “court of last resort”, these women called on the ICC to exercise its power in holding the Taliban accountable for their “heinous crimes” against women in Afghanistan.

Moreover, the AWCC urged UN member states to convene an “International Summit” and address the fate of Afghan women and the Taliban’s “extremist” policies at the summit.

The coalition also called on all foreign embassies currently operating in Kabul to leave Afghanistan.

In the meantime, these Afghan women called on men to not let Afghanistan reverse to the Stone Age. “Our diverse culture is rich in respecting women’s rights, Taliban deeds represent neither our religion nor our culture.”

The AWCC went further to urge the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and its members to stop the Taliban from “misinterpreting the principles of Islam” by denying women their fundamental rights.

“We suggest any further engagement with the Taliban must be based on tangible progress on human rights, representative government, and respect for women’s rights,” the coalition noted about the continuation of engagement between the international community and the Taliban.

It further called for a travel ban on all Taliban leaders.