The the Afghan Women Activist Coordinating Body, coinciding with the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s rule, has said in a statement that during this time, the situation of women, minorities, and human rights in the country has “severely deteriorated” and the reaction of the international community to these conditions has been nothing but “empty words.”
The statement says that despite the continued deprivation of girls from education, the ban on women’s work, arbitrary arrests, and repeated reports of torture, humiliation, rape, and even murder of women, the Taliban’s relations with some countries of the world have improved and representatives of the group have attended international meetings.
The association has also addressed the situation of Afghan migrants in neighboring countries, stating that many asylum seekers are being forcibly returned to Afghanistan despite the risk of arrest and torture.
The Afghan Women Activist Coordinating Body announced that this year, on August 15, just as the international community has remained silent in the face of “Taliban crimes” over the past four years, women will symbolically and in protest to these conditions gather for 15 minutes in silence holding candles.
At the end of the statement it is emphasized, “Our silence reflects the silence of the world in the face of gender apartheid; this is a mark of shame for the international community. Shame on you for not raising your voice against gender apartheid in Afghanistan.”
