The Subcommittee on Human Rights held a special meeting on Tuesday, 17 September, in Strasbourg with Afghan politicians and activists to discuss women’s rights.
After over three years under the Taliban’s rule, Afghan women are in an extremely dire situation, with their fundamental rights being violated on an unprecedented scale. They face gender apartheid, stringent restrictions on their right to work, education, healthcare, and simply existing in the public sphere.
The recent adoption of the law on the “Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice” has further worsened their situation, silencing their voices in public spaces. Despite the risks of beatings, incarceration, or even death for opposing the Taliban’s regime, Afghan women continue to protest against these restrictions. This oppression is also accompanied by widespread discrimination against Afghanistan’s ethnic minorities.
After the meeting, Mounir Satouri (Greens/EFA, FR), Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, issued a statement:
“Today we met with a group of remarkable Afghan women human rights defenders, who exemplify the fight of Afghan women against horrendous violations of their rights by the Taliban. We heard their testimonies and we deeply admire their strength and their commitment to that fight. Afghanistan is a place where half of society – women and girls – does not have a voice, with devastating consequences for their lives. But they do not give up, as we have heard again today. The EU therefore has a duty to give them every possible support and welcome them.”
Parliament will debate the topic in plenary on Wednesday, 18 September, and vote on a resolution on Thursday, 19 September.
From the Afghan part participated Shukria Barakzai, former Afghan MP and Ambassador to Norway, women’s rights activist in Afghanistan; Parwana Ibrahimkhail, founder of the Women’s Movement for Peace and Freedom and women’s rights advocate; Parasto Yari, Afghan lawyer and activist, working in defence of women’s and minority rights; Farukh Leqa Unchizadah, President of the Women’s Rights Organisation and recognised human rights activist in Afghanistan; Farzana Elham Kochai, former Afghan MP, women’s and minority rights activist and Tahmina Salik, founder of Empowerment for Her, advocate for women’s rights and empowerment.
