By Ozra Zafar
The Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women strongly condemns the recent statements of the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammad, regarding the green light to recognize the Taliban regime. These statements are considered as a lobby to gain support for the Taliban and betrayal of humanity, democracy, and science.
The Taliban have a long history of misogyny and oppression of women, treating them as second-class citizens and imposing gender-based apartheid. They have banned girls from attending schools and universities. They have banned women from working in government and government sectors and with non-governmental organizations.
The Taliban does not follow any humanitarian law or UN declaration. They systematically violate human rights, women’s rights and civil liberties. Since August 2021, they have killed thousands of government officials, military personnel and former employees.
The Taliban brutally suppressed women’s protests, and arrested, tortured and imprisoned hundreds of women’s rights defenders, civil society activists, journalists, teachers and professors. Arbitrarily arresting protesting women and girls, torturing and killing them, and then threatening the families of the victimized women so they won’t disclose these crimes and share the news with the media has turned Afghanistan into a hell for women.
The international community and the United Nations should not recognize the theocratic regime of the Taliban. Instead, women’s rights defenders, civil society activists and journalists should be pressed for the release of imprisoned women.
We ask the United Nations and the international community to stop the weekly cash aid of $40 million to the Taliban. The recognition of the Taliban will not lead to the acceptance of the demands of the international community by the Taliban. On the contrary, it will further encourage the Taliban to implement their anti-women, anti-science and anti-civil liberties policies in Afghanistan without any fear.
We call on all women’s rights and human rights defenders, as well as democratic organizations, to stand by the women and people of Afghanistan, not the Taliban. We must together continue to support Afghan women’s rights and their struggle for a secular and democratic government in Afghanistan.
The possible recognition of the Taliban regime by the United Nations and the international community is a worrying development. Afghan women will not remain silent if they are recognized and if financial support for the Taliban continues without a real effort to help Afghan women and people free themselves from their oppressive regime.
It doesn’t matter whether the Taliban is recognized or not, as long as they are in power, the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women will never back down and will definitely speak out bravely for education, equal rights, and freedom against the misogynistic regime of the Taliban and the hypocritical policies of the United Nations and the international community.
