RASC News Agency: The Purple Saturdays movement has warned that if the international community continues to ignore the widespread violations of women’s rights by the Taliban, Afghanistani women will be forced to join military fronts. In a statement, the movement declared: “Over the past three years, the Taliban, through crimes against humanity, systematic gender-based discrimination (gender apartheid), and the targeted repression of women, have thrust Afghanistan society into a severe crisis one that grows more dire with each passing day.”
According to the movement, under Taliban rule, Afghanistani women are deprived of both their rights and autonomy, unable to exercise their fundamental human rights, and are instead subjugated to the whims of the group. The movement emphasized that Afghanistani women find themselves in the most difficult circumstances of their lives, suffering the Taliban’s crimes. However, the international community, particularly the United States, has resorted to a policy of engagement and passivity rather than taking a firm stance against these atrocities. This approach has not only emboldened the Taliban but also made them indifferent to accountability and immune to any repercussions.
The statement further notes: “Over the past three years, Afghanistani women have endured immense suffering, from torture and sexual violence to murder, while organizing hundreds of protests and civil resistance movements. They have repeatedly called for genuine, practical, and meaningful support from the international community. Yet, not only have their voices gone unheard, but support for the Taliban under the banner of engagement has actually increased.”
The Purple Saturdays movement stresses that if the Taliban does not lift its restrictions on women and continues its oppressive policies, Afghanistani women may be driven to join anti-Taliban military fronts. Meanwhile, the Taliban, through the implementation of their new law, titled “The Law of Commanding Right and Forbidding Wrong,” has further silenced women’s voices and barred their presence in public spaces.
Additionally, Khalid Hanafi, the Taliban’s Minister for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, stated that reading, reciting prayers, or engaging in loud religious practices by adult women in the presence of another adult woman is now prohibited.
