Afghan women speak out

In early October, the AFGHAN WOMEN'S NETWORK — active in Peshawar and Islamabad in Pakistan and Mazar-I-sharif and Kabul, Afghanistan — released a statement asking for support against the imposition of repressive laws against women in areas of Afghanistan under Taliban army control. It also asked that the basic human rights of women and girls be included in any peace deal. Following is an abridged version of the appeal.

We are a group of Afghan women and their supporters who live in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In a country where over 90% of the women and girls are illiterate, we are a group of women who were encouraged by their families to become educated. Many of us previously worked in Afghanistan as lawyers, engineers, professors and doctors. Now we are working with NGOs (non-governmental organisations), UN agencies and schools.

Although Afghanistan had no official delegation to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, a few of us attended the NGO Forum and were inspired to start the Afghan Women's Network. In September, we launched this campaign and a delegation visited the USA where we spoke with human rights organisations, NGOs, women's organisations and UN agencies.

While the delegation was in New York, the Taliban took over the Afghan city of Jalalabad. A week later they took over the capital city, Kabul. Although none of the military factions in Afghanistan respect the human rights of women and girls, the actions of the Taliban have been the most extreme.

Since September 27, women have been ordered to stay at home and not to work. Many women are the sole supporters of their families. There are an estimated 25,000 widows in Kabul. Other women play an important economic role within their extended families.

Many international aid programs in Kabul were suspended. The World Food Program said on October 10 that a bakery in Kabul operated by war widows has been forced to shut down, leaving 15,000 beneficiaries without bread.

Some women have ventured out, covered from head to toe in a burqa, a garment worn over their clothes. But one woman in a burqa was beaten because she was not wearing socks. Another woman, who left her house to visit her sick mother, said "I was fully covered with black clothes. The Taliban stopped me and asked me 'Why are you alone?' and thousands of whys. Then they started beating me with a metal rod."

Another woman in Kabul lifted her clothing to jump over a stream of water. Two Talibs accused her of trying to show her legs. She argued with them and was beaten. One strong hit by a heavy rod stopped her life forever.

It is estimated that around 70% of the teachers in Kabul are women. They have all been ordered to stay at home. Girls are not allowed to attend schools. Many boys cannot attend because of the lack of teachers. Before the Taliban takeover, about 40% of the estimated 150,000 children attending school in Kabul were girls.

Taliban ordered female patients to leave the hospitals. Male doctors are not allowed to treat female patients and although some female medical workers have been allowed to return to work, they cannot work with their male colleagues. Other medical workers were turned away. One nurse said she could hear their female patients crying and calling out to them, but the Taliban did not allow the nurses to enter the hospital.

Afghan women who are currently working for international programs, schools or offices in Pakistan are worried about what might happen if Pakistan recognises the Taliban government and then insists that all refugees return to Afghanistan. Women will be unable to return unless their basic human rights to employment, education and security are guaranteed.

Some media reports and commentators have said that the control of the Taliban is not so negative because they have brought order without looting. This ignores the fact that the decrees of the Taliban deny women and girls, men and boys their basic human rights. The "order" they have imposed is based on violence and the fact that they have all the weapons. They rule by direct force and threat of force. The people of Afghanistan have had no say. This is not "peace" or "security".

We are concerned about the violations of human rights of all Afghans, but women and girls have been singled out. We demand:

• The right to employment outside the home, which includes the right to work with their male. colleagues.
  
  • The right to security. Women should not be forced to wear a uniform type of clothing or covering. They should have mobility without harassment.
    
    • The right to equal access to education, to a complete educational curriculum, not just Qur'anic instruction. Women should have equal access to all levels of education from primary through university. We do not accept the excuse of "security" for the closing of girls' schools while boys' schools remain open.
      
      • Guarantees that women's basic human rights should be part of all interim peace agreements. International donors should require guarantees of women's human rights before contributing funds for rehabilitation and development in Afghanistan.
        
        • That there should be a woman on every team negotiating with the Taliban, both from the political side of the Special Mission for peace in Afghanistan, and the humanitarian side regarding requirements for the resumption of aid projects. The Afghan Women's Network received verbal assurances from UN officials that there should be a woman on the Special Mission, but that they had not yet identified qualified candidates. Now the matter is of great urgency. We cannot expect military factions like the Taliban to understand and accept the requirements that women work in offices if the official UN delegations have no women members. We have urged that every international delegation should include women.
          
          • That all member states of the UN General Assembly not recognise the Taliban or any other military faction as the legitimate government of Afghanistan. Although the Taliban control the largest geographic area, they are a military faction that has imposed their rule by force, not by the participation and acceptance of the Afghan people.
            
            • That negotiations with the Taliban and other military factions must emphasise the importance of women's and girls' human rights as a requirement for all interim agreements to establish peace.

            We ask for your support. n