They fought for the future of their country
Afghan women activists want to stay and work for women's rights
A women's and youth gathering in Kabul on March 29, 2021 to support peace talks between the government and the Taliban.
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A demonstration in Britain in front of Parliament calling for the protection of women in Afghanistan.
AFP
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What is not yet clear is what will be the fate of hundreds of Afghan women who have supported US and NATO diplomatic efforts over the past two decades, and thousands of community activists across the country who have continued to advocate for women. What happens to the women who helped US officials, who worked at the US Embassy in Kabul, and who implemented aid programs? And the women who stood alongside foreign activists in their countries to press for the advancement of women and girls?
Currently, Afghan women activists who have come of age in the two decades since the Taliban exited power in 2001 face urgent choices: Should they stay in Afghanistan and continue their work on the ground?
Or do they seek safety in a neighboring country or an overseas haven such as the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom?
A generation of Afghan women leaders who have been championing the advancement of Afghan women and girls and transforming their country in the process are faced with a dilemma, tough choices, and they must now make their own, with little chance of getting help from their former allies.
Their fate is now surrounded by a big question mark that does not have a clear answer, and they feel that they have a deep responsibility and real consequences.
Camila Siddiqui
For some, the most appropriate option is to stay, at least as long as possible.
This is Camila Siddiqui's answer when asked about her next move.
During the Russian invasion, Afghan civil war, and Taliban rule, she never left her country.
In fact, she defied the missiles to continue her studies in her high school, at a time when Kabul was experiencing instability.
And her father provided education for his nine daughters from a young age, so that they would become patriots who would serve their nation and love their land.
During the 1990s, when the Taliban ruled Kabul, my friend stayed in the city and set up a sewing workshop, which provided jobs for the women and girls in her neighborhood, including Taliban girls.
They've spent a lot of time together since 2005, discussing the future, and I've remained more determined and more interested in the next generation.
fight to survive
She had a chance to leave Afghanistan, but she preferred to fight for survival, and to move forward in the field of consulting, she hired dozens of women and trained hundreds of them in the basics of business.
Today's political uncertainty casts a shadow over the future of businesses of all kinds, yet she still feels compelled to stay in the country and not leave, despite the fear she feels - for the first time ever - in her home city.
She says things look more dangerous in Afghanistan, even more so than in previous years, and yet she feels she has to stay with the majority of people in her country and take care of her children, earn a decent wage and fight for a better future.
“People living in Afghanistan need jobs, they need to work, they need to survive,” says my friend. “I have always committed to being in and for my country, and this is the time I should be here for my people.”
brave women
Other women are forced to work abroad in order to stay safe while their hearts remain in Afghanistan, providing help to those in danger.
One of them is the Afghan activist, Wazma Forough, who has been working for peace for the past several years.
She joined the High Peace Council, and has worked since the early 2000s as a peace activist and advocate for women and girls.
She co-founded the Women and Peace Studies Organization a decade ago, and played an active role in the Afghan Women's Network.
The US Department of State awarded her the "Woman of Courage" award in 2009. In her family there are women who have broken all kinds of taboos in public service, the private sector, and academia.
safety in america
She has now left all her loved ones at home and traveled to seek safety in North America. Her activity starts every night from 11:30 pm, she talks to women in danger in all Afghan provinces and asks for their help. From Saturday night to Sunday morning, she works to help women from Herat, Kandahar and Helmand. Now, with airports closed and phone lines down in Afghanistan, it means that women activists' access to safety is not only extremely dangerous, but extremely difficult. Even moving a family from one district to another is not easy now, let alone moving from one district to another, especially with intermittent cell phone connections.
She says, "It is very complicated, I feel guilty because I had the opportunity to save my life when tens or hundreds, or thousands of other women did not have such an opportunity," but she adds, "But at the same time I feel that I have a chance to make their voices heard, and this means something. For me".
Forough struggled with her decision to leave Afghanistan, but in the end she felt she had to continue speaking on behalf of others, and in order to provide assistance to those who depended on her, she had to protect herself.
Making life possible for women
Nargis Nihan closely balances the need to preserve her life with the duty to protect others.
This breast cancer survivor leads a non-governmental organization focused on women and peacebuilding, doing everything she can to avoid taking risks. She tells her mother, who has remained close to her, that she wants to come to terms with whatever comes.
“I have dedicated my life to this work, and I like to raise the voice of those who have no voice,” says Nihan. “If I help someone, it means more to me than the peace of a whole day, which is why I preferred to stay in my country, and I think this is the time.” The right thing to make life possible for women and girls.”
Like Forough, Nihan has spent most of the past short period talking to women and men in Kandahar, Helmand and Herat who had to flee their homes, their possessions behind as a result of the fighting, and is now struggling to get more support from the United States, Europe and other NATO allies for the women who do not have Now they had nowhere to go and no safe haven to flee to.
"We have no choice but to go back to our struggle," she says.
"We must talk about peace in Afghanistan, and we should not abdicate this responsibility no matter how bad the situation is. The world should not see us as victims begging for support. Afghan women have been a steadfast and loyal partner of the international community for the past 20 years."
We have never changed our position no matter how difficult the situation, and we will continue our struggle.”
What awaits the women of Afghanistan?
During the first Taliban rule, Afghan women set up businesses in their homes, worked as school teachers, worked as doctors, took jobs in health-related NGOs, taught Microsoft Office, supported their families and made the most of the narrow space available to their communities. They worked for a brighter path for the next generation. And this time it will be no different.
No matter what happens, Afghan women will move forward. The only question is how much injustice and oppression women will face under Taliban rule: Will the Taliban once again strike women who challenge the status quo with sticks and cable television? Will the Taliban imprison women who break its rules, and will the movement prevent women from going to work or university? Will fathers have to hand over their daughters - sometimes just teenage girls - to marry the movement's fighters? Is there an opportunity for the world to provide diplomatic, political and economic support to the women on the front lines fighting for their future and the future of their country? At the moment the answer to that seems to be no. If so, it is a loss for all of us.
During the first Taliban rule, Afghan women set up businesses in their homes, worked as school teachers, worked as doctors, took jobs in health-related NGOs, taught Microsoft Office, supported their families and made the most of the limited space available to their communities. .
• A generation of Afghan women leaders who have been championing the advancement of Afghan women and girls and transforming their country in the process are faced with difficult choices, and must now decide their own fate, with little chance of getting help from their former allies.
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