One year ago, on 15 August 2021, the Taliban stormed the Afghan capital, Kabul and seized control of the country.  The fundamentalist group returned to power after waging a 20 yearlong insurgency against the U.S.-backed government in Kabul. Over these past 12 months, human rights violations against women and girls have mounted steadily. The Taliban have systematically excluded women and girls from public life. They have also banned girls from attending school past the sixth grade and barred women from working most jobs outside the home. Restrictions on women’s bodies and movement continue to intensify. Afghan women and girls have been abandoned to fight the most difficult feminist fight imaginable: the simple right to exist as a female.

On the occasion of the conference of the Left group “Feminist voices of Afghanistan”  on 29 September, the following list of recommendations and demands to the EU has been assembled.

The women of Afghanistan call upon the European Parliament to:

– create a safe passage for Afghan refugees trying to reach Europe

– urge the EU Members States to open up possibilities for humanitarian visa for prosecuted women and girls

– urge the neighbouring countries of Afghanistan to adopt visa policies that are not abusive of the precarious situation of Afghan refugees

– urge the Member States that the requirements for family reunification need to be adapted to the situation of the refugees

– create European funds to support the civil society in Afghanistan

– increase funds for scholarships for Afghan girls

– set up an online education platform financed by the European Parliament which enables student from Afghanistan to obtain recognized qualifications

– urge the de facto authorities to have an inclusive curriculum for the schools

– prioritize the protection of the LGBTIQ persons in Afghanistan and integration of LGBTIQ refugees by supporting the organizations working with them

– urge the de facto authorities to end the sectarian violence that targets mainly the marginalised groups

– ensure financial and medical aid to women clinics across the country

– make sure that the financial aid flows to Afghanistan are transparent and there is a clear chain of accountability with a mechanism of budgetary control

– urge the de facto authorities to respect the civil and political rights of the women of Afghanistan and the Afghan Constitution which guarantees these rights

– not issue visas to people who are on UN sanctions list

– stand by the Afghan women and their resistance against the tyranny imposed upon them.

This statement has been drafted  by Dr Homaira Farhangyar, Giulia Parsi, Khatool Farhood, Mursal Sayas, Judge Narges Hafedzada, & Sonita Omarzada.

More:
Programme of the Conference “Feminist voices of Afghanistan”
Video recording of the Conference (OV)