Women at the Forefront in Afghanistan

Women at the Forefront
IN AFGHANISTAN

Women have been targeted by the Taliban regime because of their key role in democracy. The international community cannot leave them behind.

The withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s seizure of Kabul, which led to the fall of the Afghan government, shocked the international community in August 2021 and left us with one of the largest humanitarian rescue operations in history. After six months, the social, humanitarian and political dimensions of the Afghan crisis, and its serious gender implications can be better understood. This year should be the year when we really support and fight for the rights and freedoms of Afghan women both outside and inside the country.

Women are undoubtedly the main victims of the Taliban regime’s seizure of power and the restoration of institutional violence against women. They have played a leading role in the progress in Afghanistan over the past 20 years. Hundreds of Afghan women activists, human rights defenders and professionals are now in exile, dispersed across Europe and other continents, following the Taliban takeover. Meanwhile, millions of women and girls remain in Afghan territory, forced to hide or maintain a low profile for fear of reprisals, suffering continuous violations of their fundamental rights and freedoms.

Publication of Afghan Women at the Forefront in 2021

In this publication, we analyse the situation of Afghan women since the fall of Kabul and the seizure of power by the Taliban regime, as well as the role of the European Union and the failure of the evacuation of people at risk to Afghanistan.

We also interview three Afghan women refugees in Europe. Khadija Amin, Massouda Kohistani and Rahela Sidiqi are three exceptional women, whose biographies attest to their enormous involvement and the sacrifices and risks they face for their work in defending women’s rights in Afghanistan. Although they are now in exile, they want to continue fighting for the future of their country from Europe.

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As long as Afghanistan remains the worst prison for women, Taliban leaders must not be able to travel freely

In August 2022, the travel permit of 13 Taliban leaders expired. The UN Security Council has been divided since then on whether to allow the Taliban to travel again. We have therefore asked the EU High Representative Josep Borrell to oppose any attempt to renew the permission to travel for Taliban leaders. We also requested that the Foreign Affairs Council discuss the European Union’s strategy in Afghanistan.

Ban Taliban Travel: Permission to travel for Taliban leaders should not be renewed

WE HIGHLIGHT

Parliamentary activity

Afghanistan’s taliban regime is being built on gender apartheid (AFET)

Oficina MEP -

Soraya Rodríguez MEP denounces in the plenary Human Rights violations in Afghanistan

Oficina MEP -

On the human rights situation in Afghanistan, in particular the deterioration of women’s rights and the attacks against schools

Oficina MEP -

LAST UPDATE:

April 20, 2024

Afghan refugees in Iran. Photo credit: EU/ECHO Pierre Prakash (CC-By)

Testimony of two Afghan women, refugees in Spain after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan

Interview with Kohistani and Amin: the faces and voices of Afghan women

Massouda Kohistani and Khadija Amin fled Afghanistan for fear of repression by the Taliban. They took refuge in Spain, where they met. Kohistani is an activist for human and women’s rights. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, she supported networks of women who wanted to be evacuated and participated in organising the first protests by university women. For her part, Khadija, after working for 4 years as a journalist for different Afghan media, she then was as a TV host and reporter in Afghanistan, until the time when she was not allowed to work any longer. Unlike them, the vast majority of people have not been fortunate enough to leave the country and are still under the Taliban regime.

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