Several months have passed since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Though global media attention is dying down, the crisis continues and the risk faced by our partners increases with each passing day as the Taliban ramps up violence against Afghan civil society.
In recent months, we have learned of several women peacebuilders, activists, lawyers and police officers who have been murdered. In reality, these numbers are likely to be higher. Our partners, who have worked tirelessly to bring peace to Afghanistan for the last 20 years, are in constant fear for their lives. After dedicating their lives to fighting for the rights of women, girls, and minority groups, they now are unable to work and live in hiding. Some move from place to place to avoid being detected and targeted. Many are struggling to feed themselves and their families. All feel anxious, desperate, and abandoned by the world.
The Taliban have systematically excluded women from public life and across most of the country women and girls are effectively banned from education past primary school. There are reports of forced marriages and many young women live in fear that they will be forced to marry members of the Taliban, against their will.
Meanwhile, those who have been able to flee Afghanistan and make it to host or transit countries face their own challenges. They are in unfamiliar places, may not speak the local language, and have few – if any – resources to support themselves and their families.
How your Donation Helps Save Lives and Futures
How ICAN’s Been Responding to the Afghan Crisis
Following the fall of Kabul, the ICAN team and a small band of NGOs, academics and others worked frantically to get the names of our partners onto lists. We passed these lists to government contacts and pleaded for them to be evacuated. We assumed that governments would take on the responsibility to protect them. The reality has been different.
We have since formed the Afghan Solidarity Coalition. Together, we are working to get our Afghan colleagues and families, around 2,000 in total, to safety.
We have facilitated refuge in safe housing in Afghanistan, provided livelihood support for our partners and have advocated tirelessly to governments for resettlement. For a very small number of families, we have been able to arrange and finance evacuations. However, there is much more to be done. We are raising funds to continue this work. 100% of funds raised will go towards these efforts.
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Click to Tweet: Several months have passed since the US withdrawal from #Afghanistan. Though global media attention is dying down, the crisis continues & the risk faced by #Afghan women peacebuilders grows by day. On #GivingTuesday please donate to save lives & futures. https://bit.ly/3DQuFro
