Embedded Files
November 30, 2024
We, the members of the Carleton University Human Rights Society (CUHRS) and the Carleton Afghan Students Association (CASA), make this joint statement on the current ongoing gender apartheid in Afghanistan as well as on the various other human rights crises that are crippling this nation. Since 2021, Afghanistan has been under the rule of the Taliban, an extremist group which has implemented measures resulting in the great suffering of women, children, men, and all those who attempt to oppose or criticize their regime. The Taliban has twisted the teachings of Islam and the Quran for their own objectives, and do not represent either the religion or its teachings. The actions of the Taliban, their Pakistani and American-backed intelligence, and their fabricated armed forces (including a “morality police”) have resulted in the current system of gender apartheid.
We also recognize that the previous actions and inactions of the United States, United Kingdom, Pakistan, Iran, Canada, and the United Nations, as well as the wider international community, has played a part in the establishment and upkeep of the current situation.
CUHRS and CASA strongly condemn the oppressive laws imposed by the Taliban that strip women of their fundamental freedoms. These laws prohibit women from accessing secondary and post-secondary education, bar them from participating in the workforce, and restrict their movement by requiring a male chaperone for travel or appearing in public. Additionally, women are silenced by being forbidden from speaking or singing, particularly in public spaces. These draconian measures represent a gross violation of basic human rights and perpetuate the systemic subjugation of women in Afghanistan.
We also condemn the large amount of sexual assault, abuse, human trafficking, and executions of women which is either done directly by the fabricated police forces of the Taliban, or which is allowed to go un-punished under their regime. The restrictions and actions imposed by the Taliban go directly against the fundamental rights of women and further undermine their basic human rights.
CUHRS and CASA also condemn the laws that affect men. Although men have not faced the same level of restriction that women have faced, they also continue to be socially oppressed by the Taliban. This has been done through the enforcement of clothing and hair laws, banning social events, and the banning of certain forms of music and social activity. These all count as violations of the fundamental human rights to assembly and bodily autonomy.
In addition, we recognize the harm inflicted upon children, the LGBTQ+ community, journalists, human rights defenders, former government and judicial workers, NGO workers, and religious minorities. All the mentioned groups have been targeted and subjected to human rights violations. Children are often prevented from going to school and forced to work in subpar conditions below the recognized minimum age of work. Those identifying as queer are often targeted for their sexuality or for their gender identity. Religious communities, especially minorities such as Jewish and Sikh people, have been persecuted and their religious sites destroyed. Ethnic groups like the Tajiks, the Pashtuns, the Hazaras, and the Uzbeks have also been a target of direct mass killings and genocide in Tajik-centric provinces like Panjsher and Kabul, in Hazara-centric provinces like Bamiyan, and in the Dashtai-Barchi neighbourhood of Kabul.
Finally, CUHRS and CASA condemn the suppression, censorship, detaining, torture, disappearances, and extra-judicial killings of those who speak against the regime, including journalists and humanitarian workers. The Taliban has attempted to suppress any dissent to both maintain control and hide their severe human rights violations. These actions are a violation of personal integrity and the right to freedom of expression.
The Carleton University Human Rights Society and the Carleton Afghan Students Association call on the administration of Carleton University to do more to support those in Afghanistan, in particular women. Firstly, we call on the University to openly condemn the actions of the Taliban and all their allies as a grave violation of human rights. Secondly, we call on the University to offer scholarships to Afghan students, particularly women, so that they can study at Carleton. Finally, we call on Carleton University to completely divest from any corporation that has bilateral relations with the Taliban.
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