By Fidel Rahmati in The Khaama Press Online, May 1, 2023
The “Talk to Me, Not About Me” letter was prepared by 21 Afghan civil society and women’s organizations in response to the Doha meeting, where the UN and other nations will discuss recognition of the Taliban.
They expressed their outrage over the Taliban’s recognition on Sunday, April 30, while Afghan women, members of civil society, and media organizations remain denied access to fundamental human rights.
The letter states, “As Afghan women and members of civil society and media groups, we are outraged that the UN or any of its Member States would consider recognizing the Taliban, a terrorist group whose deeply repressive regime has systematically sought to erase more than half of the population from society.”
Having denied women and girls almost all their fundamental human rights, the Taliban has become the only regime in the world upholding a system of gender apartheid. Experience shows that giving into the demands of such regimes by compromising on human rights will only strengthen their grip on power and prolong the suffering of the people of Afghanistan.
“We urge the UN to cancel all its plans, even if they are immediate “Baby steps” towards recognizing an illegitimate regime that systematically violates the human rights of all Afghans and its actions are crimes against humanity,” the statement read.
Instead, the United Nations ensures that the human rights of all Afghans, in particular women and girls, are respected, protected and upheld. This should include a strong focus on justice for past and present crimes by ensuring that the Taliban leadership is held to account for gross human rights violations, war crimes, crimes against humanity and violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including the Rome Statute.
This must include cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court.
Since taking control in 2021, the Taliban, according to these organizations, have committed several human rights violations.
Meanwhile, the UN meeting of Special representatives of nations in Afghanistan will be held on May 1-2 in Doha, Qatar, behind closed doors to discuss the Afghanistan situation and how to deal with the Taliban.
We call on the United Nations to:
Immediately condemn the Taliban’s treatment of women and demand that they respect the human rights of all Afghan citizens, including women.
Take all necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of Afghan women and girls.
Take steps to prevent the Taliban from using the UN as a platform to legitimize their regime and spread their ideology.
Work with international partners to support women’s rights activists, civil society organizations, and other groups working to protect women’s rights in Afghanistan.
We also acknowledge the serious security problems faced by Afghanistan’s minority ethnic groups, particularly Sikhs and Hindus, targeted by the Taliban for their religious beliefs. The persecution and violence against these groups are unacceptable and must be condemned. The international community must take immediate action to protect the human rights of all Afghan citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or religion. Failure to do so would be a grave violation of our shared commitment to uphold human dignity and justice for all.
https://www.khaama.com/afghan-women-demand-justice-from-world-leaders-talk-to-me-not-about-me/
