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Action Central

Afghanistan Women

Background

Although Islam granted certain equalities to women long before the western world, women today in Afghanistan have lost a large number of rights. The fundamentalist Taliban movement imposed drastic rules governing women and their behavior.

Women and girls are forbidden to go to school or work outside of the home.
Women and girls may not leave their homes without a male relative.
Women are forced to wear a head-to-toe covering called a "burqa" with only a small mesh opening through which to breathe and see.
Women have been beaten and killed for not being properly covered or escorted.
The windows of homes occupied by women must be painted to prevent women from being seen.
Health care for Afghan women and girls is virtually non-existent since male doctors may not care for female patients.
Women are forbidden from speaking in public.
Pubescent girls and women are prohibited from speaking to males who are not close relatives.

Before the Taliban takeover, Afghan women were:

60% of teachers at Kabul University
50% of students at Kabul University
50% of civilian the government workforce
70% of school teachers
40% of doctors

(source: NOW )

Action Resource

Three possibilities:

1. Send petition #1:

At one point, a student at Brandeis put up a petition on the Internet, and was so deluged with responses that the university server got shutdown.
Since then, two major women's groups have gotten involved: Feminist Majority and the National Organization for Women (NOW).

2. Send petition#2: Take Action to Save Afghan Women Fleeing the Taliban:

You may remember the story about the Afghani airliner that was hi-jacked and wound up at an airport near London, where the crew escaped out windows of the plane and the hi-jackers eventually surrendered. On board that plane were a number of women and girls who have asked for British asylum to prevent their return to Afghanistan. The British government threatens to return them. This petition asks that they be granted protection by the British government.
Feminist Majority Action 118:http://www.feminist.org/action/action118.html

3. In addition, the National Organization for Women (NOW) has a take action page on the website that allows you to message the President, the Secretary of State Madelyn Albright, and the UN Office for Human Rights.

Links

Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan: http://www.feminist.org/afghan/intro.html
National Org of Women (Now): Stop Abuse: http://www.now.org/issues/global/taliban-action.html
Women in Afghanistan: Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan: http://www.rawa.org/

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Afghanistan Women
Background
Although Islam granted certain equalities to women long before the western world, women today in Afghanistan have lost a large number of rights. The fundamentalist Taliban movement imposed drastic rules governing women and their behavior. Women and girls are forbidden to go to school or work outside of the home. Women and girls may not leave their homes without a male relative. Women are forced to wear a head-to-toe covering called a "burqa" with only a small mesh opening through which to breathe and see. Women have been beaten and killed for not being properly covered or escorted. The windows of homes occupied by women must be painted to prevent women from being seen. Health care for Afghan women and girls is virtually non-existent since male doctors may not care for female patients. Women are forbidden from speaking in public. Pubescent girls and women are prohibited from speaking to males who are not close relatives. Before the Taliban takeover, Afghan women were: 60% of teachers at Kabul University 50% of students at Kabul University 50% of civilian the government workforce 70% of school teachers 40% of doctors (source: NOW )
Action Resource
Three possibilities: 1. Send petition #1: At one point, a student at Brandeis put up a petition on the Internet, and was so deluged with responses that the university server got shutdown. Since then, two major women's groups have gotten involved: Feminist Majority and the National Organization for Women (NOW). 2. Send petition#2: Take Action to Save Afghan Women Fleeing the Taliban: You may remember the story about the Afghani airliner that was hi-jacked and wound up at an airport near London, where the crew escaped out windows of the plane and the hi-jackers eventually surrendered. On board that plane were a number of women and girls who have asked for British asylum to prevent their return to Afghanistan. The British government threatens to return them. This petition asks that they be granted protection by the British government. Feminist Majority Action 118:http://www.feminist.org/action/action118.html 3. In addition, the National Organization for Women (NOW) has a take action page on the website that allows you to message the President, the Secretary of State Madelyn Albright, and the UN Office for Human Rights.
Links
Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan: http://www.feminist.org/afghan/intro.html National Org of Women (Now): Stop Abuse: http://www.now.org/issues/global/taliban-action.html Women in Afghanistan: Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan: http://www.rawa.org/