Soon to become ‘yesterday’s war’ the West’s intervention in Afghanistan will leave half its population fearful and in jeopardy. Already laws to protect women are being challenged or unravelling.
Afghan Women’s Support Forum – for further background
JALA FOUNDATION APPEAL
An Urgent Cry for International Support to Rescue Afghan Women’s Rights
If you do not help us today, we will never be able to appeal to you for support again. This may be the final battle that we could ever wage for democracy, peace and human rights in this country.
We are now in the middle of a fierce battle to defend our rights as women and as human beings. Our rights are being ferociously cannibalized today by the Legislative and Executive Branches of government – the very institutions of democracy that you helped established through the taxes of your people during the past decade.
The main protective shield of Afghan women’s rights, the Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women which you helped us enact in August 2009, is currently under serious threats of being repealed because of pressures from fundamentalists outside and inside the Afghan government. Our lame duck President has declared that he had received enough of embarrassment already in supporting women’s rights and will not help us in any way.
We have no other recourse anymore. We will not wage armed struggle because, having been a victim of violence for so long, we believe in peaceful ways of defending our freedom and rights.
The international community promised that the rights of women will not be sacrificed in the altar of peace. We need a fulfillment of that promise in these very times. We appeal for international support in this final struggle to halt the repeal/amendment of the Law on Elimination of Violence against Women and other Constitutional policies on gender equality and women’s rights. We believe that you could pressure the fundamentalists in our government to stop their assault to women’s rights policies under the threat of a potential aid and economic embargo from your end.
We, therefore, come to you on bended knees to please use your diplomatic and economic influence to support us in this precious battle. Losing the Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women meant losing everything for us. Don’t let your investments go down the drain. Don’t let the rights of women in this part of the world perish silently in the hands of the enemies of democracy. In our most desperate moment, we count on you in the name of sisterhood, human rights, peace and democracy. We come to you with hope, and hope never fails.
