Joint Statement of Coalitions

Our Voice Our Future & Afghan Women’s Networks,

In Sisterhood and Solidarity with Zarifa Ghafari

8/11/2020, Kabul

Attack on one of us is Attack on all of us

We, the women of Afghanistan have continuously paid a high price for our strong and continuing voice for justice in Afghanistan. Despite discrimination, inequality, and threats to us and our families’ lives, we have continued individual and collective efforts for peace and justice in our beloved country.

We are devastated by the murder of Abdul Wase Ghafari, father of Mayor Zarifa Ghaffari, the current mayor of Wardak province, who was killed in a cowardly attack in front of her home. Zarifa has escaped at least three assassination attempts in the past one year alone. Unable to intimidate and silence her, the Taliban resorted to murdering an unarmed, innocent citizen.  

Zarifa is a vocal voice for women’s rights in Afghanistan and a strong example of a woman leader who serves her people as a successful mayor in a conservative and insecure province.

We strongly condemn this heinous attack which is a clear indication that there are efforts to silence Afghan women through terror, force them to give up their hard won social, political and economic rights, and take Afghan women back to the time when they were imprisoned in their own homes.

We are disappointed and concerned that despite serious threats and previous assassination attempts, the government failed to provide protection to the family. 

The government of Afghanistan is obligated under national and international law to protect and mitigate threats of violence against its people. The government is committed to meaningful and inclusive participation of women across the country and implementation of its international obligations as stated in CEDAW and the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. , However in practice, there are inadequate safeguards to enable a secure environment for working women.

We once again call on all parties in conflict to respect Islamic and Afghan values by protecting all civilians, in particular women and children.

We call on the Afghan government to immediately establish a protection mechanism for Afghan women, especially working women.

The Afghan government must investigate crimes targeting women and their families and bring perpetrators to justice.

The Afghan government, when appointing women to senior leadership positions, must ensure these officials are provided with security and protection.