As one of the most active women’s protest movements, the Afghan women’s movement for justice succeeded in holding a free election in November 2022 and electing the leadership board of this movement. The leadership board of the Justice Women Movement consists of five people who are briefly introduced below:
Hoda Khamosh:
Poet, writer and women’s
rights activist
Hoda Khamosh was born in 1996 in Isfahan, Iran. Hoda completed her schooling in Iran and continued her higher education in the field of Persian language and literature. During her studies, she also entered into media and civic activities. In poetry and writing, Hoda Khamosh is also the owner of several unconventional works in the form of new poetry. “Kiss you” and “Lost virginity” are among her works.
After the fall of the previous government and the coming to power of the Taliban, Mrs. Khamosh joined the women protesting against the Taliban and is one of the pioneers of women’s protests. She participated in street protests against the Taliban and because of taking strong positions against the Taliban after she was invited by the Norwegian government to the Oslo conference and could not return to the country. She deserved to receive the Time magazine award for her activities in line with women’s rights. Because of the controversial issue of menstruation and her campaign in this episode, Mrs. Hoda was recognized by the BBC as one of the hundred most influential women in the world and received an award, and once again she was selected as one of the hundred selected personalities by the Norwegian Amnesty International organization for the publication of her second book called “lost virginity”.
Hoda Khamosh is now living in Norway. She is one of the founders of the “Afghanistan Women’s Justice Movement” and works for Afghanistan women in various fields through this opportunity and has not stopped fighting for a moment. Contrary to her name, she is not silent and remains like a stormy sea that is full of turbulence.
Sabira Akbari:
Women’s rights Activist
Sabira Akbari was born in 1997 in Daikundi province. She completed his primary education in Daikundi province and after coming to Kabul with her family in 2014, she also started social and economic activities focusing women’s rights and their challenges.
In 2016, she became a member of the Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AWCCI), which was newly established in the same year with the aim of promoting the role of women in business. At the same time as working with a number of organizations, Sabira thought of starting a personal business in order to teach business to women and help self-sufficiency of female heads of the family. This business was launched in the field of handicrafts and the orders were distributed among the female heads of the family. This activity continued until the end of the previous government.
After the disgraceful deals in Doha and the coming to power of the Taliban on August 15, 2021, Sabira also joined the group of protesting women and became one of the protesters of the Taliban and their anti-women and anti-human policies and activities. She along with other like-minded women founded the “Afghanistan Women’s Justice Movement” and organized street and home protests and several press conferences against the Taliban and their actions.
Sabira Akbari was forced to leave Afghanistan after the increasing wave of arrests of protesting women by the Taliban. She was elected as a member of the leadership team of the Afghanistan Women’s Justice Movement in the elections of the leadership team of this movement and continues her campaign against the Taliban’s dogmatism and monopolization. She says that the struggle of Afghan women has started with the goal of establishing an elected, accountable and law-abiding government and will never stop to achieve women’s participation and gender equality.
Shahla Arefi:
Women’s rights Activist
Shahla Arefi is from Kabul Province and completed her primary and secondary education at Sultan Razia High School in Kabul. She joined the Faculty of Persian Language and Literature of Kabul University and graduated from this university in 2011.
Mrs. Arifi has a working experience in the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and has worked as a senior trainer in the departments of promoting girls’ education and artistic and literary departments. Later, she was appointed as the head of cultural, educational, artistic and literary affairs and served in this position until the fall of the previous government.
In 2015, Mrs. Shahla joined the master’s program of gender and women’s studies at Kabul University and graduated in 2017. She has a lot of work experience in the gender sector.
Now, as a defender of women’s rights, she is one of the most prominent and active members of the Afghanistan Women’s Justice Movement and has extensive activities in the field of defending women’s rights in the country.
Fatima Etimadi:
Social activist and women rights defeder
Fatima Etimadi was born in 1988 in Jaghori district. She went to school and studied Persian literature in Jaghori until graduated and then migrated to Kabul. She studied law in Kabul and was able to obtain her master’s degree in 2019. Mrs. Etemadi has a long experience in the teaching and school management in Kabul.
Apart from studying and working, Fatima Etimadi has a history of being a member of the national karate team, and with valid certificates and referee booklets from the Afghanistan Karate Federation, she has trained women and girls in this sport for many years.
Mrs. Etimadi has been active in the social and civil fields and is a member of several civil and human rights organizations.
In August 2021, when Afghanistan came under the control of the Taliban, and after that, the golden age of growth and prosperity of women also ended. Fatima Etimadi, who was an activist in various cultural, sports, social and civil sectors, seeing this miserable and oppressive situation, decided not to sit quietly and be a voice for Afghanistan women. She is now an active and prominent member of the Afghanistan Women’s Justice Movement. She says that she will not give up any efforts to get human rights and political participation for women.
Rahila Talash:
Women’s rights activist
Rahila Talash Ansari was born in 1992 in Mazar-e-Sharif. She completed her primary education in Mazar-e-Sharif and obtained a bachelor’s degree in law and political science from Kabul University. After graduating from the university, Miss. Talash continued her activities by teaching and working with various organizations. She also has a history of working with Afghan News media as a reporter.
Miss Talash started her civil and human rights activities during her student days and continued these activities at first in Balkh province and later in Kabul city. She is the deputy of “North Afghanistan Youth Organization”.
After the events of August 2021 and the coming of the Taliban to power, Ms. Rahila, seeing the primitive and undemocratic systems of the Taliban and the imposition of anti-women and anti-human rights laws by the Taliban, started protesting against this group and along with other women protesters and fighters, she raised the voice of Afghanistan women. She is now an active member of the “Afghanistan Women’s Justice Movement” and her activities continue in defense of women’s rights.