Afghan Women Archives - Lokmarg

Engagement With Afghanistan Will Work, Not Isolation: Qatar

By LokMarg 26th September 2023

Following the worsening situation in Afghanistan, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar Majed Al-Ansari said that the complete isolation of Afghanistan will not work and the only way forward is engagement, reported TOLO News.

“We fully understand that the situation in Afghanistan today is not easy for the international community to engage with the current government, but complete isolation is not the situation, it didn’t work, it will not work” and “the only way forward is engagement,” he said.

Moreover, Ansari highlighted that Qatar is working to mediate in Afghanistan and the rest of the world.

“Afghanistan is a very important topic for Qatar. We are highly invested in that issue. We are working on mediating between Afghanistan and the rest of the world basically. So, a lot of things to be done,” he added.

Meanwhile, according to some political analysts, it is important to have a mediator to resolve the current situation in Afghanistan, TOLO News reported.

Sayed Qaribullah Sadat, a political analyst said, “The issue of China and Taiwan is a problem, and a mediator is needed. The issue of Saudi Arabia and Iran has a problem, and a mediator is needed, similarly, Afghanistan’s position from a political and economic point of view and the challenges that Afghanistan’s politics face, needs a mediator.”

Another political analyst noted that Qatar can be a good mediator in the ongoing situation of Afghanistan as its political journey began from Qatar.

“Qatar can both pave the way and become a good mediator in the current situation because the political journey of the Islamic Emirate started from Qatar,” said Mohammad Ajmal Zurmati, a political analyst.

Moreover, according to TOLO News, Ansari said Qatar’s Foreign Minister and the Taliban leader have discussed various issues in a meeting, including women’s right to work and education, reported TOLO News.

Earlier this week, the UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett said that women and girls in Afghanistan have lost trust in the global community and the international community has betrayed Afghan women, reported Khaama Press.

Bennett made these remarks during a session titled “Combatting Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan” on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly held on Friday.

Further, he called for practical measures to end gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

He stated that Afghan women and girls have been left isolated and a sense of mistrust towards the global community has developed among Afghan women.

Afghan women have been facing discrimination and injustice for two years now. Be it in terms of education, jobs, or life, they have been suffering since the Taliban took over.

Taliban leaders have also disregarded international calls for women and girls to be given access to education and employment. Apparently, they have also issued warnings to other nations not to meddle in Afghanistan’s domestic affairs. (ANI)

Taliban Orders Ban On Female Students In Univ Entrance Exams

By LokMarg 29th January 2023

In the latest decree, the Taliban has banned female students from sitting in university entrance exams which are slated to take place next month, the Afghan news agency TOLOnews reported.

The Taliban Ministry of Higher Education has sent a notice to the universities which states that the girls cannot apply for the exams until further notice. Apparently, they have banned girls from registering for the 1402 (solar year) university entrance exam.
The decision was followed by another decree from the caretaker government prohibiting women from working in non-governmental organizations, which sparked outrage on both the national and international levels, TOLOnews reported.

After the Taliban ordered an indefinite ban on university education for Afghan girls, several humanitarian organizations, including Education Cannot Wait (ECW), a United Nations global, billion-dollar fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises called on the Taliban authorities in Kabul to revoke their decision to suspend the university education of Afghan women.

Earlier, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation met earlier this month to discuss the Afghan caretaker government’s decision to restrict females’ access to education and work at non-governmental organizations.

Many Islamic countries and organizations, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have condemned the ban on women’s and girls’ access to work and education as a violation of Islamic law.

Since August 15, 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls’ freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce, and banned women from using parks, gyms, and public bath houses. These restrictions culminate with the confinement of Afghan women and girls to the four walls of their homes. (ANI)

Afghan Women Face Severe Challenges Due To Lack Of Health Facilities

By LokMarg 23rd September 2022

Several residents in Kabul voiced concerns over the shortage of female doctors in the country due to rising problems for women regarding challenges in health facilities, Global Women’s Health Index Institute (GWHI) said in a report.

Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, women in the country have been deprived of fundamental rights. According to the report, women cannot visit health clinics or have a doctor examine them without a male companion and several provinces lack essential healthcare services, according to TOLOnews.
“Many patients come from Paktia and Helmand. They say there is no female doctor,” said a doctor at the Najmulsama Shafajo hospital.

The residents of Kabul have raised concerns about the shortage of female staff at hospitals which has posed severe threats to the health of Afghan women, TOLOnews reported.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said that it has created dozens of facilities for women across the country, TOLOnews reported.

Taliban has imposed draconian restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly and movement for women and girls.

As a result of this, women and girls in Afghanistan are facing a human rights crisis, deprived of the fundamental rights to non-discrimination, education, work, public participation, and health. Afghan women are staring at a bleak future due to a number of restrictions imposed by the Taliban governing aspects of their lives within 10 months of Afghanistan’s takeover.

According to HRW, women and girls are blocked from accessing health care as well. Reports suggest that women and girls facing violence have no escape route. Allowing girls into schools and other educational institutes has been one of the main demands of the international community.

The majority of countries have refused to formally recognize the Taliban amid worries over their treatment of girls and women and other human rights issues. Women are no longer allowed to travel unless accompanied by men related to them and are being curtailed from wearing make-up as well as their reproductive rights. (ANI)