medica mondiale is demanding more support from the German government for women’s rights organisations from Afghanistan
On August 15th, it will be two years since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan for the second time. For two years, the rights of women and girls have been brutally and systematically cut back in all areas of life by the Taliban.
“Girls are no longer allowed to attend secondary school and women have been excluded from their universities and workplaces. They have been shut out of social, political and economic life. The Taliban are systematically denying them access to work and education, robbing them of their future.”
Afghans who resist the repression and who campaign for their rights are subject to threats, imprisonment, kidnapping or torture. There are no opportunities for women to publicly assert their right to self-determination without putting themselves in mortal danger. At the same time, support networks for women are under massive threat, and there are hardly any safe spaces or contact points remaining.
“Despite all this, they continue to fight, activists and organisations are working to uphold the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan. These include partner organisations of medica mondiale. In these difficult circumstances, telephone and digital offers for psychosocial counselling have been expanded in order to reach women affected by violence. The intention is to minimise the risks for those affected and for the therapists. As well as protective measures for threatened activists, and further offers of counselling, our partners are also organising training courses on women’s rights issues for lawyers and other legal experts, and they are working at national and international levels to assert women’s rights in Afghanistan.”
This work needs to be supported. medica mondiale is calling on the German government to intervene effectively for the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan - with political and financial assistance.
“We are calling for financial and political support for women’s rights organisations and activists in Afghanistan and in exile. Furthermore, we are calling for the direct involvement of representatives of Afghan civil society and international organisations in all political processes and decisions that concern the women’s rights situation in the country – both at the federal and international level.
A feminist foreign and development policy needs to include ongoing, long-term, and forceful efforts to improve the situation. This includes continuing the assistance for vulnerable people to leave the country and seek safety in Germany. The government also needs to insist that the Taliban uphold women’s rights.”
