In the lead up to Eid al-Adha, women from Balkh in Mazar-e Sharif have called for the Taliban to open schools and universities to women and girls and provide job opportunities for them.
In a video seen by Rukhshana Media, they urge the Taliban to “give us education and employment as our Eid gift”.
In the video statement the protesters said they expect the Taliban to end the restrictions on the education and employment of women and girls. They ask the Taliban to respect the basic rights of all Afghan citizens, including women who make up as half of the country’s population, and adhere to the Universal Declaration of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
The protesters expressed their dissatisfaction with the indifference of the United Nations and said that national and international relief organizations and aid organizations related to the UN should distribute humanitarian packages with full transparency to prevent the escalation of the humanitarian crisis in the country. They emphasized the need to support widows, people with disabilities, and the unemployed.
Nahid Karimi*, a student at Balkh University and one of the protesters, told Rukhshana Media that they want to remind the Taliban that women and girls want to study and work. She said Afghan women are forced to stay within the four walls of their homes, a life which is akin to house arrest.
“After the suspension of girls’ education by the Ministry of Higher Education of the Taliban, all girls, including myself, are in a very difficult mental and emotional situation,” Ms. Nahid said.
Naheed urged the Taliban to open the gates of schools and universities so women and girls can use their talents to help Afghanistan get out of a dire economic situation. She emphasized that the Taliban should give this right to Afghan women and girls.
