Women’s Voice Movement: Taliban Targeting Women’s Human Dignity Through Misogynistic Policies

Sent to Zan TV

The Women’s Voice Movement of Afghanistan, in a protest held in Tehran and a published statement, has described the gender-based violence and forced marriages imposed by the Taliban as clear crimes against humanity and has called for immediate action by international institutions.

The protest was held on Saturday (May 3) in the city of Tehran. In a video obtained by Zan TV from the gathering, the protesters condemned the systematic violation of Afghan women’s human rights by the Taliban while reading the movement’s statement.

According to the statement, forced marriages and sexual violence are not only blatant violations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), but they also contradict the principles of Islamic Sharia, which emphasizes mutual consent and human dignity.

The movement warned that the Taliban, through their misogynistic policies and the imposition of sexual violence, are targeting the dignity and freedom of Afghan women, and that the international community must respond firmly to this gender apartheid.

In the final part of the statement, the Women’s Voice Movement of Afghanistan urged the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, governments, and human rights organizations to apply diplomatic pressure and initiate legal action to compel the Taliban to end these crimes.

Recalling the names of victims such as Abeda, Rukhshana, Farkhunda, Negar Gol Andam, and Tajgul, the movement emphasized that "human rights are universal and the voices of Afghan women must be heard."

This protest follows a wave of widespread reactions to the self-immolation of Abeda, a young woman from the village of Darzab-e-Nili in the Taywara district of Ghor province. Last Sunday, when Taliban members attempted to forcibly marry her to the brother of a local Taliban commander, she set herself on fire in front of the Taliban fighters.