Purple Saturdays Movement: The International Community Has Had a Compounded Failure in Combating Violence Against Women in Afghanistan

The statement, released on Monday, November 25, reads: "1198 dark days; the international community has had a compounded failure in fighting violence against women in Afghanistan."

The statement emphasizes that "over the past three years, the Taliban have turned the country into a hell of structural repression and systemic violence against women and girls, driving them into forced domestic confinement by systematically eliminating social structures and criminalizing gender. They are implementing unprecedented gender apartheid and a discriminatory system, which is a bitter and despairing interpretation of the ongoing tragedy in women's rights in Afghanistan."

The statement also points to the consequences of the Taliban's violence, adding: "This violence has alarmingly led to an increase in mental health issues, forced and child marriages, suicides, domestic violence, and sexual assaults by Taliban fighters."

The movement further criticized the international community, particularly the United Nations and UNAMA, for their lack of decisive response to the "crimes" of the Taliban, stating: "After 1198 dark days, the international community has not only failed to take serious action against these crimes, but has systematically reduced sanctions and pressures on the Taliban based on political and economic interests, which reflects the moral collapse of the global community's collective responsibility."

The statement highlights that the contradictory actions of the international community have made Afghan women more vulnerable, causing not only a sharp decline in street protests but also making it increasingly difficult for women to raise their voices against gender-based violence by the Taliban, even within their homes (closed spaces).

Another section of the statement reads: "As we witness the arrival of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, thousands, including women, remain tortured in Taliban prisons. The group is reopening the Bagram prison and turning it into the largest torture and killing ground for political prisoners, and it will not be long before it becomes a center for inhumane torture of protesting women."

The movement warns that normalizing relations with the Taliban and failing to respond decisively to their crimes is a strategic miscalculation in international diplomacy. This not only undermines human rights values but will lead to an expansion of violence, gender apartheid, and increased extremism in the region and the world, which will undoubtedly incur heavy costs for those engaging with the Taliban.

The statement also asserts: "What the Taliban are openly doing to women and girls in Afghanistan, right before the eyes of the world, constitutes a gross international crime and a wide violation of fundamental human rights and women's rights that must be immediately stopped, and the arrest warrants for Taliban leaders should be issued by the International Criminal Court."

The statement also notes that despite repeated requests from human rights activists, women's rights groups, and protest movements inside Afghanistan, no decisive and serious actions have been taken to prosecute Taliban leaders.

The statement concludes: "We condemn the international community's weak will in addressing and fighting violence against women in Afghanistan and their lack of genuine commitment to holding the Taliban leaders accountable. We stress that the continued passive stance of the international community is unacceptable based on human and legal standards, and we call on the international community and the UN General Assembly to fulfill their commitments, refrain from implicitly legitimizing a human rights-violating regime, and prevent the Taliban from attending international meetings."

The statement ends with: "We urge the international community to support an alternative government to the self-proclaimed Taliban regime, and instead, support a legitimate, democratic, and decentralized system to save Afghanistan, particularly the women, from the current suffocating situation."