“Each person can be the agent of change,” said Dr. Salma Malik, while leading a roundtable discussion on “How Can Civic Activism Help Afghan Women?” held at the Afghan Studies Center on June 10, 2022. 25 Afghan youth shared their thoughts on civic activism, how it has emerged and transformed in Afghanistan in the past 20 years and if the current activism is helping Afghan women.
All the participants conceded that life has drastically changed for women in Afghanistan. “We struggled for 20 years for our existence and agency, but with the return of the Taliban we lost it all”, said one of the female participants. A male participant said, “Life has become difficult for men in Afghanistan too. I have younger sisters, I wanted them to study and play a role in the country’s progress as future leaders. It is a pity that we had to leave our country to save my sisters’ future.” The participants opined that Pakistan and the rest of the international community should engage more regularly with the Taliban and urge them to lift the ban on women’s education and work. “Islam encourages both men and women to seek knowledge, pursuit of education is the essence of our religion. How can the Taliban deprive us of this fundamental right when they claim that they believe in an Islamic system?”, commented a female participant.
In the end, the participants came up with recommendations for the perusal of the relevant stakeholders in Pakistan and Afghanistan:
– Pakistani government should create opportunities for Afghan women to empower them financially
– The international media outlets should increase their presence in Afghanistan, so the world gets to see the actual picture of the country under the Taliban;
– Means should be created for Afghan women to attain international representation, only then they can advocate having a say in their own country;
– Platforms such as ASC should arrange such discussions more often so that the displaced Afghan youth in Pakistan can have a platform to voice their concerns;
– ASC under CRSS should convene regular meetings/roundtables to discuss issues of Afghan women, inclusion, education, human rights, etc.
Dr. Malik concluded the discussion by saying that ultranationalism jeopardizes civil liberties; the Taliban must consider and include all ethnic, religious, and gender groups in the policy-making. “Inclusion is the only way forward.” she asserted.
