Form of words:
Teatwo and a half months Fall of KabuliThe international community has yet to figure out how to stop Afghanistan’s new masters from imposing harsh restrictions on women’s freedoms. Yet a change in the way negotiators handled their dealings with the Taliban would go a long way toward holding the regime accountable.
After promising to keep the Taliban with him promises of inclusivityBiden administration under pressure to resume US aid conditional on the protection of women’s rights. The issue is also regularly raised by delegations from foreign governments, the United Nations and aid agencies, who have made their way to Kabul since mid-August, seeking assurances that the new regime will not back down on its promise.
It is not only the liberal West that sees the Taliban’s treatment of women as an early indicator of how the Taliban will rule. China too, perhaps the most curious of the world powers to do business with the governmentTaliban leaders have been warned to protect women’s rights.
but with so few women Appearing for these high-stakes discussions, the Taliban may wonder whether they need to take these precepts seriously. Gender bias has been so noticeable that advocacy group Human Rights Watch continues to twitter thread The incoming all-male mission to suppress ex-militants on humanitarian and other matters.
The absence of women in these discussions would be unconscious at any time and in all circumstances, but especially now and in dealings with a deeply anti-feminist regime. More than words, the Taliban must be given a continued exposure to the norms of the international community they say they want to join.
This can be accomplished with two simple steps.
First, every foreign delegation to Kabul must be at least half the number of women. At every possible occasion, the main interlocutor or interlocutor should be a woman. Every time a Taliban leader sits across the table from visitors, he must see and experience what most of the world agrees is a woman’s rightful place. The standard it will set is a necessary pre-condition for any meaningful change in attitude.
Second, every foreign delegation calling the Taliban to discuss international aid should insist that women be on the other side of the table. This would force the Taliban to look beyond their own ranks for representation, another necessary condition for change. It is not enough to make the resumption of international support and investment conditional on how women are treated. Women should be actively involved in the conversation, to help determine how support will be given.
The same conditions should apply to any Taliban delegation traveling abroad.
The Taliban will bow to these requirements at first, but they can’t afford to refuse: 80% of the last The Afghan budget was funded by the US and other donors.. Taliban leaders may claim that exposing women to strangers is contrary to their belief or culture, but these specific arguments are easily countered by examples from other deeply conservative societies. Leaving Multiple Gender Restrictions.
A challenge to this approach will be to ensure that the international community is behind it. Yet the virtue is self-evident, and it should be well within the ability of the Biden administration to rally global opinion. Vice President Kamala Harris, who has US pledges support for Afghan women, has the stature to lead on this issue.
Unanimity among foreign groups would be ideal, but it is not necessary. This will suffice when most visible Western governments and multilateral organizations such as the United Nations insist on literally putting women on the table when talking to the Taliban. Any nation or organization that breaks ranks should be called out – and forced to explain that its rhetoric about women’s rights doesn’t match its actions. bloomberg
Read also: China’s Taliban strategy is taking shape. But he wants to secure his border areas first
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