The US Department of State has held a session titled “Alliance for Afghan Women’s Economic Resilience (AWER)”. During this meeting, discussions were held regarding investment strategies, empowerment, and education for women and girls in Afghanistan. The US Secretary of State described the thirst for education among girls in Afghanistan as remarkable and stated that the Taliban continue to defy the desires of the Afghan people by persisting in their prohibition of education, schooling, and work for women. He emphasized that the Taliban have suppressed dissenters and violated their fundamental rights. According to the US Secretary of State, surveys indicate that over 85 percent of Afghans believe that women should have equal access to education. He highlighted the extraordinary challenges facing the United States in Afghanistan, noting that over the past two years, the Taliban have issued dozens of prohibitive orders against women and girls, leading to their complete exclusion from society. Numerous reports indicate a rise in women’s deprivation of employment and education, forced marriages, and underage marriages in Afghanistan.
The US Department of State has announced the convening of a symposium jointly hosted by the department and Boston University on the economic empowerment of Afghan women. During this symposium, the private sector, civil society, Boston University, and the US Department of State have engaged in discussions to share the latest initiatives and collaborations aimed at advancing common goals regarding Afghan women’s access to education and employment.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the extraordinary challenges facing the United States in Afghanistan during this session. He characterized this gathering as a beacon of hope for Afghan women amidst adversity. Secretary Blinken added that the primary objective of this initiative is the economic empowerment of women in Afghanistan. According to him, this program assists women and girls under Taliban rule and those who have left the country to enhance their skills and job opportunities.
Mr. Blinken criticized the Taliban’s prohibition of education for women and girls, stating that they continue to impose restrictions against women in Afghanistan. He emphasized that the Taliban have suppressed dissenters and undermined their fundamental rights. The US Secretary of State stressed that the behavior of the Taliban contradicts the desires of the Afghan people. According to him, surveys indicate that over 85 percent of Afghans advocate for equal access to education for women and men. He further added that Taliban restrictions continue to suppress Afghanistan’s potential and prevent women from bringing bread to their families’ tables. According to him, these Taliban actions hinder sustainable peace and societal prosperity.
Mr. Blinken has described the intense thirst for learning among girls in Afghanistan as indescribable and emphasized that women must have access to education. The US Secretary of State, referring to the marginalization of a large portion of Afghanistan’s citizens, added that the global community is determined to support women and girls in Afghanistan. He stated that more than 70 countries from Asia, Europe, and America have called for meaningful steps to be taken for women in a joint statement.
In the Alliance for Afghan Women’s Economic Resilience (AWER) Summit, the US Secretary of State said that despite deprivation and suppression by the Taliban, women are eager for education and employment. He deemed this enthusiasm and interest unbelievable.
The US Secretary of State stated that the AWER Initiative pursues three important objectives. According to him, the first goal of this program is to provide distance education opportunities for girls and women, and the second goal is to provide scholarship opportunities for girls and women. He described the third goal of this program as connecting Afghan women with entrepreneurs.
Rina Amiri, the US State Department’s Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights, also spoke at this summit. Ms. Amiri emphasized that women in Afghanistan need assistance and do not want to be seen as victims. She added that women in Afghanistan expect the international community to help them achieve their rights.
The US Special Envoy, in her speech, urged participants to understand how women are fighting their obstacles in Afghanistan. She stated that attention should be paid to Afghan women and girls’ creativity, determination, and resilience. She added, “Afghan women want us to understand their struggle and pay attention to their resistance.”
This summit took place a day after 11 member countries of the United Nations Security Council, in a joint statement, condemned the Taliban’s continued gender-based discrimination and systematic oppression against women and girls in Afghanistan. They stated in their joint statement that the Taliban must be held accountable for human rights violations and “crimes against women.”
Previously, the United States Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), citing UN partners, reported an increase in forced marriages and child marriages in Afghanistan due to economic pressures. SIGAR stated that according to the UN report, women and girls in Afghanistan are at risk of early marriage, child labor, violence, exploitation, and sexual abuse.
In its January report this year, SIGAR stated: “The UN Women estimates that 28.7 percent of girls under 18 are married, and nine percent of girls are under 15. UN humanitarian partners report that the rate of child marriage and forced marriage is increasing because of economic pressures on the families in Afghanistan.”
The Special Rapporteur on Human Rights of the United Nations reported on the human rights situation in Afghanistan in June 2023, stating that “Nowhere else in the world has the rights of women and girls been under such extensive, systematic, and pervasive attack as in Afghanistan.”
The United Nations has stated in multiple reports that after gaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban issued over 100 decrees extensively restricting women’s rights, access to education, employment, mobility, and their presence in society.
Over the past two months, the Taliban have extensively detained and imprisoned women and girls on the streets of Kabul and some provinces, citing their failure to adhere to the dress code imposed by the group. UNAMA has reported that these arbitrary detentions have mainly occurred in Tajik and Hazara-populated areas.
Following numerous reports of arbitrary detention of women by the Taliban, United Nations experts have called for the cessation of arbitrary detentions by the Taliban. In a statement, they said, “We urge the Taliban to halt all arbitrary restrictions on the freedom of women and girls based on the stringent dress codes they have imposed, and immediately release any woman or girl who may still be detained for this reason.”
The extensive restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women have created numerous problems for girls. After depriving women and girls of all their human rights and confining them to their homes, this group has significantly increased the incidence of “forced marriages and underage marriages” for girls in the country.
It is worth noting that within the past week alone, the Taliban have publicly executed three individuals on charges of murder by shooting, an action that has sparked widespread global outrage and condemnation from human rights organizations. The group has recently sentenced Manizha Sadat, one of the women activists, to two years in prison on charges of burning a photo of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the group.