International Women's Tribune Centre wrote: > GLOBALNET 90 > > International Women's Tribune Centre, 777 United Nations Plaza, New > York, > NY 10017, Tel: (1-212) 687-8633. Fax: (1-212) 661-2704 . > e-mail: [log in to unmask] > > WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR NETWORKS. > > July 14, 1997 > > by Anne S. Walker > > AN UPDATE ON THE SITUATION OF WOMEN IN AFGHANISTAN > > "On September 27, 1996, the world watched as the Taliban captured > Kabul." > So begins an article by Abbas Faiz, Amnesty International, London, > published on April 26, 1997 by The Lancet, a prestigious British > medical > journal. "At first, governments, including Pakistan and the USA, > welcomed > the arrival. Oil companies also saw the Taliban takeover as a > "positive" > development. For the people of Kabul, it was the beginning of a reign > of > terror. Today the Taliban rule about two-thirds of Afghanistan and > have > imposed a strict social and legal order in accordance with their > fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law (Shari'a). Women in > particular now face severe restrictions on their freedom of movement > and > access to health care, education and employment. The Taliban have > banned > women from most occupations....but some female doctors and nurses have > > been allowed to continue their work because Taliban rules of work > state > that women should only be attended by female physicians. However, > women > who work in areas controlled by the Taliban are exposed to brutal > treatment on an almost daily basis. Many female doctors and nurses are > > beaten or forced to witness beatings of female colleagues by Taliban > guards. These armed young men are a constant presence in hospitals and > > are able to intervene whenever they want to as part of the Department > for Enforcement of Morals...In this intimidating environment, many > doctors who witness Taliban violence against women do not feel able to > > help. Women who venture out onto streets to seek medical care, or for > any other reason, are frequently attacked by Taliban guards and warned > > not to appear on the streets again......Recently a pregnant woman > delivered her baby in a Kabul street while her husband was being > beaten > by guards for taking her to the hospital." The Lancet, April 26, 1997, > > via the Women's Human Rights Network, <[log in to unmask]> > > Call for Action to Hold the Taliban Accountable: An international > group > of activists, participating in a women's human rights institute at the > > Center for Women's Global Leadership (CWGL) at Rutgers University in > June, issued the following call for action. The group ask that people > everywhere adopt this petition and direct it to their own governments. > > They further request that a copy of the petition with signatures, or a > > report of how many signatures were gathered from your country, be sent > > to CWGL so that they can present them to the United Nations and the US > > Government as part of an international effort to support women in > Afghanistan in their fight against injustice. Please feel free to > translate the petition as necessary, and to allow space for signatures > > or endorsements. Send a copy or a report of the number of names > gathered to CWGL. Fax:(1-908) 932-1180. E-mail: <[log in to unmask]> > > Petition on behalf of the rights of Afghan women: > > We, the undersigned, are deeply alarmed at the practices and policies > of the Taliban against Afghan women and girls. We urge the Taliban > to immediately cease its gender apartheid, and allow Afghan women > to work outside their homes, earn income, and acces the Afghan > society's education, health and other resources. We urge the Taliban > to respect Afghan women's rights to education, to safety and the > sharing of public spaces, and to public mobility. We further urge > the Taliban to lift the forced veiling and imposed dress code policy > against women, and to uphold the human rights of Afghan women and men > as accorded to them under Islamic constitutional laws. > > We call upon governments, the international community, the UN and > multinational corporations, to hold the Taliban accountable to uphold > and respect the human, civil and political rights of Afghan women, > girls and men. We call upon these bodies to withhold: recognition > of the Taliban; access to the UN seat; and donor assistance. We ask > that economic transactions be conditional upon the respect of the > Taliban towards the Afghan people and particularly the human rights > of women and girls . > > We urge the US Congress and other governmental and intergovernmental > bodies, to appropriate development assistance monies in support of > Afghan women's education, skill building, capacity-building, > health-related programmes and other basic needs for civil society.