Almost five years on from the Taliban's return to power, the situation of women and girls in Afghanistan remains precarious. They are shut out of almost every area of public life and face mounting restrictions. Access to education, work, and participation in society is heavily curtailed, when not blocked altogether.
On Wednesday, around 100 people gathered at Hamilius in Luxembourg City to show solidarity with Afghan women and to shed light on their plight.
"Work, education, and freedom" was the slogan on the placards held by members of the Afghan community and their supporters, three fundamental rights that many women and girls in Afghanistan can no longer take for granted today. Human rights activist Hadise Hussaini said the demonstration was intended to highlight the systematic repression that has steadily intensified since the Taliban came to power.
Hussaini said she had had the chance to speak to many women from different parts of Afghanistan and had noticed how often their stories resembled each other. Many, she said, cannot organise their daily lives freely, have no voice, and are even denied access to education.
She added that those gathered in Luxembourg wanted to show their solidarity with Afghan women, who are being denied their basic rights and freedoms.
Parisa Ahmadi used the opportunity to describe the systematic exclusion of women and girls from Afghan society. A member of the Afghan community in Luxembourg, she stays in touch with people back in the country and is deeply troubled by the daily reality many women now face.
"My feelings, I can't even explain them to you, because they are too deep", she shared.
Ahmadi has friends in Afghanistan, who cannot leave home without a male companion, who cannot live the lives they want, or do the things they want. As a human being, she finds that utterly unacceptable.
The demonstration in Luxembourg is part of a wider call to keep the situation of Afghan women in international view and to keep up pressure on the Taliban government. Those gathered did not want the situation of Afghan women to slip from the international community's attention, Hussaini said.
The appeal went out to human rights organisations, institutions, and citizens around the world to keep advocating for these women's rights. Luxembourg, she said, should also stand clearly alongside Afghan women, and as a country committed to upholding human rights, it could help to amplify their voice on the international stage.
These women must be supported and given a platform, she added, since they no longer have one of their own.
Despite restrictions, Afghan women have shown courage in recent years, repeatedly speaking out against the situation in their country. According to the UN, such protests have routinely been suppressed, and demonstrators have been arrested, threatened, or subjected to violence.
A new Taliban decree, meanwhile, now allows for the marriage of minors, among other measures, and makes it even harder for many women to escape violent relationships. Human rights organisations warn that the move legitimises child marriage and leaves women even more dependent on men.
