Razia Barakzai

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Razia Barakzai (born 1995) is an Afghan women's rights activist. She was named one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2021 for leading the first women's protests against the Taliban in August 2021, [1] following their takeover of Afghanistan earlier that month. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Barakzai was born in Farah Province. [2] She was the only child born to her Pashtun parents; [4] [5] her mother was a housewife, while her father was a commander in the Afghan Security Forces. She attended Herat University, where she studied political science, and obtained her master's degree from Kabul University. [2]

Career

In the late 2010s, Barakzai was the sole provider for her family. She worked both as a university professor in Kabul and for the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan at the presidential palace. During her time with the commission, five of her suggested projects were approved, including proposals for peace parks in the Herat and Nangarhar Provinces and the creation of online systems with which users could submit complaints and petitions to the government. [2] Her last day working at the presidential palace was August 15, 2021, when all workers were asked to leave for their own safety; the Taliban took over the building later that day. [2]

Activism

On August 16, 2021, following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, Barakzai and two other women led the first women's protests against the new government in Zanbaq Square, near the presidential palace. [2] [5] In the aftermath, she was arrested and beaten. [1] Online, Barakzai started the hashtag #AfghanWomenExist under which to organize in-person demonstrations. [6] She continued to participate in protests in September 2021, in response to statements suggesting women would not be able to hold positions in the new government. [7] During these protests, she reported being struck in the head by Taliban forces, and that tear gas and pepper spray were used against protesters. [7]

Barakzai and other online organizers declared October 10, 2021 as World Women Solidarity Day With Afghan Women. [2] In December 2021, Barakzai participated in protests surrounding women's rights to work and study, and the need for financial relief. [8]

By late 2021, Barakzai had fled Afghanistan due to death threats made against her by the Taliban. [2] [3] She first traveled to Mashdad, Iran, but relocated after realizing she was still being surveilled. [2] She continued to change locations as she continued to receive death threats. [5]

In early November 2022, Barakzai helped organize a letter-writing campaign aimed at the United Nations Security Council, urging the body to take action to help Afghan women. [9] She has criticized UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed [10] and U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights Rina Amiri for meeting with Taliban officials or suggesting the Taliban might be validated as Afghanistan's legitimate government. [11]

As of July 2023, Barakzai was living in Pakistan with relatives. [1] She maintained contact with activists in Afghanistan, and continued to speak out against Taliban policies, such as the shutdown of women's salons. [1]

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Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, Tajikistan to the northeast, and China to the northeast and east. Occupying 652,864 square kilometers (252,072 sq mi) of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains in the north and the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's largest city and serves as its capital. According to the World Population review, as of 2023, Afghanistan's population is 43 million. The National Statistics Information Authority of Afghanistan estimated the population to be 32.9 million as of 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taliban</span> Militant organization in control of Afghanistan

The Taliban, which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is an Afghan militant movement with an ideology comprising elements of Pashtun nationalism and the Deobandi movement of Islamic fundamentalism. It ruled approximately 75% of the country from 1996 to 2001, before it was overthrown by an American invasion. It recaptured Kabul in August 2021 following the departure of coalition forces, after 20 years of Taliban insurgency, and now controls all the country. The Taliban government is not recognized by any country and has been internationally condemned for restricting human rights, including for women to work and have an education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treatment of women by the Taliban</span> Gender policies, punishments of the Taliban

The treatment of women by the Taliban refers to actions and policies by two distinct Taliban regimes in Afghanistan which are either specific or highly commented upon, mostly due to discrimination, since they first took control in 1996. During their first rule of Afghanistan, the Taliban were notorious internationally for their misogyny and violence against women. In 1996, women were mandated to wear the burqa at all times in public. In a systematic segregation sometimes referred to as gender apartheid, women were not allowed to work, nor were they allowed to be educated after the age of eight. Women seeking an education were forced to attend underground schools, where they and their teachers risked execution if caught. They were not allowed to be treated by male doctors unless accompanied by a male chaperone, which led to illnesses remaining untreated. They faced public flogging and execution for violations of the Taliban's laws.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jaafari, Shirin (July 7, 2023). "Women in Afghanistan are devastated by the Taliban's ban on beauty salons". The World from PRX. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Shahalimi, Nahid (2022-08-16). We Are Still Here: Afghan Women on Courage, Freedom, and the Fight to Be Heard. Penguin. ISBN   978-0-593-47291-0. Archived from the original on 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  3. 1 2 Nelson, Soraya Sarhaddi (August 17, 2022). "Afghan women raise their voices in two new anthologies". NPR. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  4. ↑ ""Since the Taliban are Pashtuns, we are sorry": Pashtun civil activists". Aamaj News. 2022-05-12. Archived from the original on 2022-12-09. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  5. 1 2 3 "Interview with Former FBI Special Agent and Yale University Senior Lecturer Asha Rangappa; Interview with Novelist Hari Kunzru; Interview with PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel; Interview with "We Are Still Here" Editor Nahid Shahalimi. Aired 1-2p ET". transcripts.cnn.com. August 19, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-09-25. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  6. ↑ "Urgent letters from Afghanistan: 'I hope the world will not forget us'". BBC News. 2021-12-07. Archived from the original on 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  7. 1 2 Latifi, Ali M. (September 4, 2021). "Women march in Kabul to demand role in Taliban government". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-04. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  8. ↑ Saayin, Asma (2021-12-16). "Kabul women rally for right to education, work". Pajhwok Afghan News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  9. ↑ "100 Letters Sent To UN Security Council Regarding Dire Situation of Afghan Women". Afghanistan International. 2023-09-20. Archived from the original on 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  10. ↑ "UN Deputy Secretary-General's Remarks on Taliban Recognition Draw Reactions". Nimrokh News. 2023-04-22. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  11. ↑ Kawa, Amin (2023-08-02). "Controversies Surrounding U.S.-Taliban Talks; Human Rights and Women Activists: Disheartening and Shameful". Hasht-e Subh Daily. Archived from the original on 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
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