Statement by Ms. Alison Davidian, Acting Representative of UN Women in Afghanistan, on the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan, during the daily press briefing of the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, 25 July 2022.

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It has been 344 days since the Taliban took power. For most Afghan women and girls, almost every single day since August 15 has seen their rights, condition, and social and political status deteriorate.

When I briefed you in September, I told you that decades of progress for Afghan women and girls were in danger of being erased. Today I am here to tell you that our fears have come true.

Over the past 11 months, we have seen an escalation in restrictive policies and behaviors towards women.

• Afghanistan remains the only country in the world where girls are not allowed to attend high school.
• Women are not allowed to work outside the home, except for a few specific sectors and roles.
• There are no women in the cabinet and there is no Ministry of Women’s Affairs, effectively removing women’s right to political participation.
• Women are required to have a male attendant when traveling more than 78 kilometres.
• They are also required to cover their faces in public.

Combined, these rules limit women’s ability to earn a living, access health care and education, escape situations of violence and exercise their rights, and they further limit Afghanistan’s ability to chart a course through the crisis.

Knowledge

But none of this is news anymore. I’m here to tell you what these guidelines and restrictions mean in practice for the women and girls living in Afghanistan today — women I’ve met in my travels to the provinces and districts of the country. Women who could have informed you directly a few months ago and who can no longer leave their homes, go to work or show their faces.

The women spoke of how the requirement of *mahram* impacted all aspects of their lives, from their freedom to go buy bread and meet the basic needs of their families, to their ability to influence the taking decision making at home. Women linked the mandatory wearing of face coverings to their growing invisibility. Some women told me that they still go to the market without Mahrambut they live in fear that one day they will be arrested and beaten for grocery shopping without a man.

Some women also told me that Afghanistan felt more secure now, that they were less afraid of indiscriminate attacks and that they were relieved that the conflict had calmed down. But security comes at the expense of agency, and that price is too high for most women.

Hope

The stories of loss reverberate throughout Afghanistan. But there is also hope even in the face of such a loss. In all the provinces I visited, women told me they would not give up. They will not accept this systematic exclusion from public life, these restrictions on their right to learn, to work and to express themselves.

Women are forming new civil society groups to respond to community needs, run businesses and continue to work to provide health and protection services.

For many women around the world, walking outside the front door of your home is part of everyday life. For many Afghan women, this is extraordinary. It is an act of defiance.

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People often ask me how we can support Afghan women and girls. What can we do?

The answer may seem simple, but it is transformative and proven time and time again by research. Invest in women – invest in services for women, jobs for women and women-led businesses, invest in women leaders and women’s organisations.

For the international community, this means:

• Targeted, substantial and systematic funding for programs that address women’s rights and empowerment.
• Prioritize listening directly to Afghan women about their needs and strengthen advocacy for all of their rights, including women’s right to work and to engage in public and political life.
• Facilitate the meaningful participation of women in all stakeholder engagements on Afghanistan, including in any delegations meeting with Taliban officials. Nothing harms our mission anymore when we ask the Taliban, where are your women? And they tell us, where are yours?

UN Women is on the ground in Afghanistan, working every day to improve the lives of Afghan women and girls. We are scaling up service delivery for women, by women, to meet overwhelming needs. Health, education and protection services are not only essential but, in this environment, they save lives.

We support women-led businesses and employment opportunities for women in all sectors. The full return of women to work is essential to transform the Afghan economy and lift the country out of poverty.

We invest in women-led civil society organizations to support the rebuilding of the women’s movement. The women’s movement is the main driver of progress and accountability for women’s rights and gender equality, not only in Afghanistan, but around the world.

Every day, we advocate for the restoration, protection and promotion of all the rights of women and girls and the creation of spaces for Afghan women themselves to defend their right to live a free and equal life.

Conclusion

Many Afghan women and girls feel that they are now invisible and that the world has forgotten them, which compounds their invisibility.

Afghanistan is not the only country in the world where women’s rights are violated. But what is happening in Afghanistan is a wake-up call for all of us, as it shows how decades of progress in gender equality and women’s rights can literally be wiped out in a matter of months.

It is a clear call to all that the struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan is a global struggle and a battle for women’s rights everywhere.

What we all do – or don’t do – for women and girls in Afghanistan is the ultimate test of who we are as a global community and what we stand for.