The “Afghanistan Women’s Freedom Network” has officially announced the launch of its activities by holding a meeting and issuing its founding declaration. The gathering was attended by a number of women’s rights activists, advocates for justice, and civil society figures, who emphasized the need to defend the fundamental rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
The network’s founding declaration states that its activities are based on the principles of freedom, justice, equality, and human dignity. Members of the network believe that lasting peace, development, and social justice can only be achieved through the equal participation of women and men in all areas of life, and that excluding half of the population represents a serious obstacle to the progress of any society.
The Afghanistan Women’s Freedom Network has outlined its mission as defending the fundamental rights of women and girls, expanding social participation, supporting education, employment, and women’s economic empowerment, and utilizing civil, legal, media, and international capacities to achieve these goals.
The declaration describes the denial of education to girls, restrictions on women’s employment, and their exclusion from social and political spheres as clear violations of human rights and serious threats to Afghanistan’s future. The network warned that depriving millions of girls of education has deprived the country of skilled and creative human resources, increased poverty, and created conditions that contribute to the growth of extremism and underdevelopment.
According to the statement, the Afghanistan Women’s Freedom Network plans to operate through the creation of alternative educational opportunities, expansion of online learning programs, implementation of academic, professional, and skills-based training initiatives, support for women’s employment and entrepreneurship, strengthening economic empowerment, and establishing support networks for vulnerable women.
The network has also announced that it will continuously document the situation of women’s rights in Afghanistan, record cases of human rights violations, and provide related reports to relevant international organizations for follow-up and accountability.
Another section of the declaration expresses concern over the spread of extremism and restrictions on Afghanistan’s education system. It states that replacing scientific education with ideological instruction poses a serious threat to the country’s future, sustainable peace, and regional security. The network emphasized the importance of supporting programs based on critical thinking, peaceful coexistence, equality, respect for human rights, and human development.
The Afghanistan Women’s Freedom Network has further pledged to stand alongside women facing violence, discrimination, deprivation, and threats, while working to expand access to legal, psychological, and social support services and create protective pathways for affected women.
The statement further notes that the systematic exclusion of women from various aspects of life not only violates their fundamental rights but also undermines Afghanistan’s development, stability, and progress. According to the network, a society in which women are deprived of education, employment, and social participation cannot achieve justice, prosperity, or sustainable development.
At the conclusion of the declaration, members of the network called on the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, UNAMA, regional and international governments, human rights organizations, and civil society institutions not to remain silent in the face of violations of women’s rights in Afghanistan. They urged these bodies to condemn discriminatory policies against women and use all available legal and diplomatic mechanisms to ensure the fundamental rights of Afghan women and girls.
The Afghanistan Women’s Freedom Network concluded by emphasizing that Afghanistan’s future is only possible through the equal participation of all citizens, without gender, ethnic, religious, or political discrimination. The network pledged to continue its peaceful, civil, and lawful advocacy for freedom, equality, justice, and a better future.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
