Amnesty International: Support the brave women of Afghanistan

Amnesty International in its recent report published on Saturday has called on the international community to hear and support Afghan women and put words into action. The report highlights the dire situation of women in Afghanistan under the Taliban’s rule.

Since the Taliban’s return to power, the organization stated, women and girls have been denied access to their fundamental rights, the situation has continued to deteriorate, and the obstacles faced by women in Afghanistan are unlikely to disappear.

According to Amnesty International, the Taliban have not only failed to fulfill their commitment of safeguarding the human rights of the Afghanistan people, particularly women and girls, but they have also recommenced the cycle of violence and carried out various human rights abuses and violations without any accountability.

“Human rights are under attack on all fronts. It must be stopped. Call on the Taliban to immediately reverse their decisions and unconditionally lift all bans against women and girls in Afghanistan,” Amnesty International stated in the report.

The rights organization quoted Mahbouba Seraj, a women’s rights activist, as saying to the international community “Do not forget the Afghan women, be our voice and raise your voice with your governments. The rest of the struggles is on us and we will continue.”

Shukria Barakzai, a former member of Afghanistan Parliament also told the organization that “I don’t want Afghan women to become a part of history. We need everyone to be the voice of Afghan women, calling for their safety and security.”

After returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban officially barred girls from secondary education in March 2022 and in December the ban expanded to tertiary education for women and their work for NGOs.

Despite repeated condemnations and repeated calls for the bans’ reversal, the Taliban leaders have rejected to change course with imposing even more restrictions on women across Afghanistan.