AFGHANISTAN, WE SEE YOU
Over the past 20 years, Afghanistan has given birth to a generation of women who grew up in freedom and believed in opportunities for all. On August 15th 2021, the Taliban completed their takeover of Afghanistan by seizing the capital city of Kabul. With that, two decades of progress vanished overnight and the hard-fought advances in women’s rights are now in jeopardy. Hundreds of thousands of people are trying to flee the country and its unfolding humanitarian crisis. In response, HÁWAR.help and its partners launched the initiative Defend Afghan Women’s Rights and raised over 160.000€ for afghan women’s organisations providing urgent humanitarian relief on the ground. However, the situation remains critical and media reporting has decreased over the past weeks. This is what we want to change with #AfghanistanWeSeeYou.
WE AIM TO
- RAISE AWARENESS for the situation faced by women in Afghanistan and direct media attention to the unfolding humanitarian crisis on the ground.
- FUNDRAISE FOR HUMANITARIAN RELIEF and the delivery of emergency food packages and medical care by our partners on the ground.
- ADVOCATE FOR CONCRETE ACTION including binding political commitments to evacuate women, especially human rights advocates, journalists, judges, and their families who are at high risk of being targeted by the Taliban via safe passage programs.
OUR POLITICAL DEMANDS
A COUNTRY IN PERIL
The history of repression of women and minorities under Taliban rule has caused rampant fear among Afghan women and human rights advocates around the world. Bans on employment, education, and even on leaving the house without a male relative, have become a bitter reality for the more than 19 million women living in the country. In addition, half of the Afghan population, around 18 million people, is dependent on humanitarian assistance. Some 3.5 million Afghans are internally displaced, while almost as many have fled to neighboring countries or the region at large. The struggling economy has deteriorated further since the Taliban came to power. Many people who used to be able to provide for themselves have lost their work, resulting in them and their families becoming dependent on assistance. At the same time, a severe drought is decimating the harvest yields.
“You are women of different faiths and backgrounds, and you work together because you believe that all human beings are entitled to the same rights and to the same dignity. You are a ray of light in these dark days for Afghanistan.”
Ursula von der Leyen
President of the European Commission
“It’s not about Afghanistan, Germany or France: it’s about humanity. It is about our shared world. Right now, a member of the international family has fallen ill: Afghanistan. Please show your support for our country, for all the people of Afghanistan.”
Zarifa Ghafari
Former Mayor of Maidan Shar
“It is about solidarity and support, and that is why we came together, especially to show Afghan women and Afghan civilian population: you are not alone in your pain.”
Düzen Tekkal
Chairwoman HÁWAR.help
“I remember very well how the news reached me, the phone rang, at the other end were my parents. They said the Taliban were outside Kabul and the city, it would fall.”
Khesrau Behroz
Journalist
PARTNERS
#AfghanistanWeSeeYou is supported by the following partners:
