Afghan Women Fight for Their Future in New Rounds of Protest

Women in Afghanistan are fighting for their rights and their lives. Now, hundreds of women are taking the streets of Kabul to protest against the Taliban. 

Since President Biden decided to send soldiers in Afghanistan home, Afghan citizens have been defenseless to the usurpation of the Taliban. Women, in particular, are in danger of being degraded from their high-educated status to objects hidden from society. The Taliban resurfaced some extreme rules such as not allowing women to have government or high-status jobs and not being able to roam with a full body cover or a male escort. 

The Taliban claimed they would rewrite some laws to include women. However, recent events show that Afghan women are the ones in the most danger.

TOLOnews correspondent Zahra Rahimi released a video in which Taliban elements surrounded dozens of women in a parking lot to prevent them from joining the protests in Kabul on Tuesday, September 7th.#afghanistanwomen #Afganistan pic.twitter.com/IhZqMt2PqJ

— SAzari (@Sazari2015) September 7, 2021

In addition, the Taliban released prisoners to the public, most of whom also do not agree with women’s empowerment. The Taliban told women to stay at home for their own safety. However, their safety never crossed the Taliban’s minds when they released prisoners. Women are taking this as another way of forcing them to give up their place in society and remain housewives.

Every day women are growing more scared of their dark future, fearing that their hard work for rights will be swept away like their former government was. As a result, women are speaking up and protesting.

Hundreds of Afghan citizens, majority women, protested in Kabul holding signs saying, “#SanctionPakistan” and “#StandWithPanjshir.” The protestors also expressed their fears about losing women’s rights and surrendering to the Taliban’s extreme rules. 

However, this is only one of the many protests going on. Citizens also protested in Herat, calling the Taliban to include women in government discussions. One protestor explained, “We’ve worked hard for years to achieve and maintain our rights; abandoning them now is impossible.”

Dozens of female women’s rights defenders, university students and govt employees on Thursday held a protest in Herat city and called for the preservation of the past two decades’ achievements. #afghanistanwomen #Afganistan #Talibans pic.twitter.com/PNHVWq1tA7

— Afghan English (@AfghanEnglish_) September 2, 2021

But they cannot be alone in their fight because their fight is also our fight. It’s a fight for basic human rights, especially for women. The long-struggled battle for women to be included and treated equally extends to all women of color. This all-inclusive basic right should not stop because of country lines, cultural differences, or misogynistic governments. As women, it is our duty to lift each other up. To rise above the oppression and use the sacrifices made by other women as stepping stones to a higher reality of freedom and equality. 

If you want to help Afghan women during this dark time, these organizations are worth looking into: 

1. Women for Women International– They help women impacted by war and comflict to help them rebuild their families and community. The Emergency Fund for Afghanistan is also willing to match your donation up to $500,000. 
2. Vital Voices– Funds women leaders in countries around the world to help protect women changemakers and survivors of violence in Afghanistan. 
3. CARE– The Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund reaches 500,000 Afghan women with food, health services, shelter, and support for refugees. 

For more information, you can visit here. Please consider offering a helping hand today.