By Jan Ellen
ISTANBUL (TURKISH JOURNAL) – A Joint Statement on The Situation of Women and Girls in Afghanistan was issued by the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, with 23 countries as signatories that made it clear that the international community will closely examine the Taliban’s behavior toward females in Afghanistan. It calls on those in positions of power in Afghanistan to guarantee the protection of women and girls across the region. It also expresses deep concern about their future rights to education, work and freedom of movement. The Taliban are known for strict adherence to a type of ancient Sharia law that they claim requires women to don burquas, only go out if accompanied by a male relative, forces young girls to marry against their will, forbids women from working and severely restricts their movement as well as a host of other oppressive Taliban rules only directed toward females.
The statement explained in part: “Afghan women and girls, as all Afghan people, deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. Any form of discrimination and abuse should be prevented. We in the international community stand ready to assist them with humanitarian aid and support to ensure that their voices can be heard.” It went on to say that the international community will “monitor closely how any future government ensures rights and freedoms that have become an integral part of the life of women and girls in Afghanistan during the last twenty years.”
It was issued amid grave concerns after eyewitnesses in Afghanistan reported shocking abuses toward women and girls. The most recent heartbreaking incident was a news report on August 18, of a widow of three who was beaten to death by Taliban soldiers for not cooking for them. In addition, Afghans reported girls being ordered back home from their workplaces and being told not to return. There were also widespread reports of school burnings and forced marriages of young girls with Taliban soldiers going door to door to kidnap them, and girls having to forge marriage certificates to escape such a fate.
Though the Taliban have publicly declared in the media that they welcome women to be part of the government and that they are in the process of forming an inclusive government – analysts, experts and activists expressed their skepticism that they changed. Fear is pervasive throughout Afghanistan that all the hard-won freedoms of the last 20 years will be lost and that women and girls will end up the primary victims of the Taliban’s pervasive influence.
