Experts have highlighted that the women in Afghanistan are the ones who have to pay the highest price in the Afghanistan crisis…reports Asian Lite News
Amid mounting concerns over ongoing situaton in Afghanistan, a group of experts in Delhi urged Taliban to stop abuses against Afghan women.
A Delhi-based think-tank, Red Lantern Analytica, on friday held a discussion titiled “Role of International Media in Safeguarding Women’s rights under Taliban,” The Economic Times reported.
According to the The Economic Times reports, Nargis Nehan, Former Minister, Mines and petroleum, Afghanistan, Zarifa Ghafari, Afghanistan’s former Mayor and Human Rights Activist, Heather Barr, Associate Director, Women’s Rights Division and other eminent experts on human rights have attended the discussion.
As the current human rights situation in Afghanistan deteriorate to alarming levels, with women and children being the biggest sufferers, the think-tank said that despite the Taliban’s assurance that the new government would support human rights, including the rights of women, the truth remained far from such statements.
“There was a belief that the Afghans were disappointed with Ashraf Ghani’s government, they had supported the Taliban. But this was not the case. The support was acquainted with the fear of death. yet the fact that the former president would run away leaving his countrymen at the mercy of the Talibans was absolutely unpredictable”. The economic Times quoted Nargis Nehan as saying.
While discussing the topic, experts have highlighted that the women in Afghanistan have been part of reconstruction, not war. But women are the ones who have to pay the highest price in the process and the experts accused international media of spreading the Taliban propaganda by diluting the facts.
Meanwhile, a group of Afghan women staged a rally in Kabul demanding the inclusion of females in the country’s new government headed by the Taliban, according to a media report.
Friday’s rally came a day after a similar one was staged in Herat amid the Taliban trying to form a new government following their complete takeover of the country last month, said the TOLO News report.
The Taliban, who are yet to decide on female leadership roles, have already said that women can work in government institutions but not in higher-ranking positions.
During the rally in Kabul, the participants demanded the Taliban and the international community to preserve women’s achievements in Afghanistan in the last two decades and respect their political, social, and economic rights.
“No society will make progress without women’s active role. Therefore, women’s political participation in the future government and its cabinet should be considered,” TOLO News quoted civil society activist Tarannom Saeedi as saying.
Another activist, Razia said that “we want to work like men under the Islamic law”.
The participants urged women across the country to go back to work despite the Taliban coming back to power.
After the fall of Kabul on August 15, the Taliban turned away several female presenters working at RTA (the national radio and television facilitates in Afghanistan) and did not let them continue working at the station.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has also said that women can work under Islamic principles, without providing further details.