Former Judge Najla Ayoubi of Afghanistan has urged the United States to carefully consider the policy designed for the withdrawal of American forces.
The Chief of Global Programs at Every Woman Treaty warned that the “unplanned and ill-coordinated withdrawal will likely bring unprecedented violent and disastrous consequences”.
Ayoubi, in a statement, said Afghans, particularly women and children, were at great risk.
The former Legal Advisor for the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs noted that the Taliban has been responsible for numerous attacks on educational institutions, women’s rights activists, female political leaders and journalists.
She accused the Taliban of firing blind rockets into Kabul and killing civilians since the Doha Talks began.
“If the Doha Talks result in changes to the democratic institutions and progress, despite the corruption that needs to be addressed, that will endanger advances made in parliament and provincial councils.
“Women are serving in these political institutions, and they enjoy serving there. Women should be equal partners in the future of Afghanistan and they must be at the negotiating table. Women and girls must be confident that government Institutions and global human rights treaties will protect them.
“Afghan women invested so much in ourselves, we are the backbone necessary to build society. Our labour is the economic engine of success, especially in the years after the fall of the Taliban. There must be a legal remedy – if not, there is no guarantee for our safety and security.”
The rights activist decried that in the country’s judiciary, the patriarchal mentality is still pervasive, adding that women are denied justice when they take their cases to the courts.
“We cannot rely on the Taliban to respect the lives of women and girls as equals. This is why a global treaty, like the convention South African President Ramaphosa and Nigerian President Buhari called for at the African Union, is critically necessary.”
Ayoubi, who served as Commissioner at the Independent Election Commission, appealed to America to keep its promises and ensure Afghanistan will no longer be a sanctuary for global terrorism.
