Women’s Movement Towards Freedom: “Afghan Women Want Justice, Not Pity”

Sent to Zan TV

Coinciding with August 15, the Women’s Movement Towards Freedom has said that this day marks “the darkest days in Afghanistan’s modern history and the beginning of darkness, repression, fear, and widespread human rights violations,” a day after which fear, discrimination, and injustice have overshadowed the fate of millions of Afghans.

The movement emphasized that the Taliban, by imposing gender apartheid, have deprived women of the right to education, work, travel, art, sports, and participation in society, turning Afghanistan into “the only country in the world” where girls above sixth grade are not allowed to continue their education.

According to the movement, ethnic minorities, particularly Hazaras and followers of the Shia faith, have been targeted by deadly attacks, forced displacements, land seizures, and systematic discrimination, with dozens of attacks on their educational, religious, and cultural centers left uninvestigated and unanswered.

The Women’s Movement Towards Freedom says the Taliban, by completely closing the path to dialogue and participation, and through widespread poverty, crippling taxes, and social restrictions, have turned people’s lives into “an endless hell.”

The movement has called for an immediate change in global policy towards Afghanistan, effective pressure on the Taliban, the creation of an inclusive political process, an international investigation into crimes against minorities, practical support for human rights defenders and journalists, and the denial of any international recognition to the Taliban.

The movement stressed, “Afghan women want justice, not pity; they want the right to live and to be educated, not empty promises. The world must not forget that behind every closed door stands a girl who has the right to breathe. This is the cry of the women of a nation.”