The Afghan Witness project has created a new map revealing the deterioration of women’s rights in Afghanistan. While the European Union (EU) has expressed vocal support and condemned the Taliban, further actions are required to address the situation.
The Afghan Witness project has created a new map revealing the deterioration of women’s rights in Afghanistan. While the European Union (EU) has expressed vocal support and condemned the Taliban, further actions are required to address the situation.
Since assuming power in August 2021, the Taliban have been aggressively eroding the progress made in the past two decades since they were ousted in a US-led invasion. Women have been deprived of their rights and are increasingly subjected to human rights violations by the regime.
On Thursday, Afghan Witness launched an interactive map that provides verified evidence of human rights abuses in Afghanistan. The project, established by the UK-based non-profit organization Centre for Information Resilience, employs open-source data and techniques to investigate human rights abuses, war crimes, and disinformation in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Myanmar.
David Osborn, the team leader of Afghan Witness, stated that each entry on the map represents a verified incident of violence that their analysts have investigated over the past 18 months.
The map compiles open-source data on abuses, security incidents, and protests since the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. The data collection spans from 2021 until April 2023.
Osborn noted that the Taliban has violently suppressed women’s rights protests on the streets, many of which are documented on the map. Consequently, women activists have resorted to staging indoor protests and sharing videos online. However, intimidation tactics have compelled women to conceal their faces due to fear of reprisals.
Osborn added that violence and the threat of violence against women in Afghanistan have reached their highest levels in decades. The team has documented over a hundred reported incidents of femicide over a year-long period, with women being killed by family members, husbands, or the Taliban.
Situation on the ground
In March, UN Women published a report based on consultations with Afghan women within the country. The report, shared with EURACTIV, indicates that 66% of the consulted women believe that the situation for women and girls will further deteriorate in the next three months.
The report recommends that UN member states, including EU member states, coordinate pressure on the de facto authorities and engage in direct negotiations alongside Afghan women.
EU stance
In April, the Taliban prohibited Afghan women from working for the United Nations and its agencies. The EU condemned this ban, acknowledging that external pressure alone is insufficient but emphasizing the necessity of taking action. MEP Radka Maxová stated that the EU should continue voicing its support to demonstrate solidarity with the Afghan people. It is crucial for EU citizens to understand the worsening situation in Afghanistan and the obligation to assist those in need.
Maxová emphasizes the importance of the EU continuing to express its support to demonstrate solidarity with the people of Afghanistan. This is crucial for both the Afghan population to know that the EU stands with them and for EU citizens to understand the ongoing deterioration of the situation in Afghanistan and the moral obligation to assist those in need.
Maxová suggests several additional actions the EU could take, including providing scholarships and work visas to eligible Afghans. She also recommends labeling the discrimination against women under the Taliban as “gender apartheid.”
Furthermore, Maxová proposes that the EU document the current historical injustices, oppression, and human rights violations, with a specific focus on women’s rights violations. Additionally, she calls for the EU to be the voice of Afghan women in important international decision-making forums.
Source: Euractive