Afghanistan today when women bounce back, statement from Director Sabra Bano
20 years of hard work in Afghanistan to acknowledge, accept and support women`s rights have been a rewarding exercise for all those involved, says director Sabra Bano
With the fall of Kabul, emerging testimonies of resilience and bravery of women from Afghanistan are a genuine tribute to the international women`s movement. The global wave of gender equality moves forward even in the face of ideological barricades, as the recent protests led by women in Afghanistan have witnessed. We salute the heroism of women in Afghanistan, she stated.
The resilience, persistence and struggle of Afghan women leaders has been and is defiant. It is inspirational, heartwarming and moving. While some boarded a flight to refuge abroad, many have stayed back on the home ground demanding their inclusion in governance and administration, and continuing the work as equal citizens.
What is happening in Afghanistan today is not exceptional to the women in the world. The women`s movement for gender equality is but continuously full of such challenges and brutalities under militarization and ideological tyranny.
20 years of partnership between Afghan and international women and women`s rights organisations has been a just and a fruitful exercise. As during the past years, Afghan women`s rights were fully addressed at national and international forums, and today women in Afghanistan have proven that they lead and determine their destiny all alone.
The world looks at them with pride and inspiration. When all lips are sealed, they broke the silence. When others are hiding in their homes, they take to the streets hand in hand, letting the world know that the Taliban are not the whole Afghanistan but just one actor within the Afghan society. Thus, the rest should remind them of their existence. Women in the world are known to have shown their courage and leadership in the worst situations of peace, security, disaster, pandemic, and chaos.
Afghan women are no exception to this vital role that women in the world have always played and will continue to play.
Women across the world are in solidarity with women in Afghanistan believing that they have the wisdom, courage, and strategy to deal with this change and setup of power. Let us show our support to all women and girls in Afghanistan and to their countless admirers and supporters around the globe.