Afghan women protest exclusion from upcoming UN meeting in Doha

Jeddah - Yasmine El Tohamy - KABUL: Afghan women spoke up on Wednesday against their exclusion from an upcoming UN conference in Doha, saying their absence will not improve the deteriorating situation for females in Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, Afghan women have faced increasing restrictions including on movement, personal attire, as well as access to work and education.

The UN has reportedly agreed to the Taliban’s demands of preventing Afghan women from participating at the Doha meeting on Afghanistan that will start on June 30, and to remove a discussion on gender equality from the agenda.

“When a society cannot be complete without women, how can we expect that such important meetings will have fruitful results without them?” Mahboba Akbar, a former teacher and education activist in Kandahar, told Arab News on Wednesday.

“I think the life, work, education and the future of Afghan women and girls don’t really matter for the people attending the meeting in Doha. Therefore, the meeting is not intended to seek solutions for the problems of all Afghans, but is focusing more on reaching some political agreements.”

The latest development appears to be a part of the UN’s attempts to get the Taliban to attend the third Doha conference, which was set up to discuss the international community’s approach to Afghanistan.

The Taliban were not invited to the first gathering, and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said they set unacceptable conditions to participate at the second meeting held in February. This included excluding Afghan civil society members from the talks, and for them to be treated as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers.

No country has recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s government, with the UN saying that recognition is almost impossible while bans on female education and employment remain in place.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry in Kabul confirmed their attendance at the Doha meeting, saying that chief Taliban government spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, will lead the delegation.

When such political agreements are made, it is usually Afghan women who bear the burden, said Zainab Muwahid, an Islamic scholar who participated in the US-Taliban peace talks in Qatar in 2019.

“Afghan women bear the biggest sacrifices in these political deals,” she told Arab News.

The absence of women will have a negative impact on the outcome of the meeting, Muwahid said.

“Women have exclusive views and experiences that are crucial for sustainable and fair talks. Without their presence, there’s always the risk of increased inequalities and injustices.”

The numerous restrictions introduced by the Taliban have been regarded as some of the world’s most serious violations of human rights. Human Rights Watch highlighted on Tuesday how the abuses “deepen daily.”

“Many Afghan women look to the UN to make things right — to hold the Taliban accountable for their crimes, for making Afghanistan a suffocating prison for women and girls — but have been disappointed by ineffective UN responses,” the rights group said in a statement.

The HRW said a growing number of Afghan women activists in the country and abroad have called on states to boycott the upcoming Doha meeting.

“If Doha 3 moves ahead as planned, the UN will be setting a deeply harmful precedent, betraying Afghan women’s struggle for their rights,” it added.

Samira Rahimi, a schoolteacher in Kabul, said women’s voices are often ignored in major meetings.

“When it comes to big and important meetings, only men participate. We don’t have any representation, our issues are largely ignored,” she said.

“We had hope for the international community to continue supporting Afghan women and their rights. The international community has also failed us a great deal. They don’t care about us anymore.”