Inclusive Government without Women is Meaningless: Women in Balkh

Dozens of women in northern Balkh province came to the streets in support of their rights to education, employment, and political participation, stressing that their rights must not be ignored.

Women gathered in Mazar-e Sharif city on Monday to demand their rights and protest against the unclear fate of women in a government to be announced by the Taliban.

These women were carrying slogans, saying that an inclusive government without women is meaningless.
The full text of women’s complaint is as follows:
To the members and leadership of Tahreek-e-Taliban, the United Nations, national and international organizations and institutions that uphold women’s rights and are committed to the values of human rights and gender equality, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, and the honorable and liberal people of Afghanistan!

As we are witnessing the collapse of the previous government and the rise of the Tahreek-e Taliban in Afghanistan over the past weeks, what has obsessed the minds of every Afghan woman more than ever, is the fear of losing their fundamental rights as a human being. We seriously demand our fundamental rights which include:
The right to education and freedom of choice in educational fields of study. The upcoming government must provide equal higher education for men and women;
Freedom in work, the right to freedom of choice for women in work, the right to equal pay, and providing job opportunities both for men and women;
The right to have political participation up to leadership levels (the right to elect and to be elected);
The right to private property;
The right to freedom of speech;
The right to work for women in the judicial system;
The upcoming government should provide a clear definition of women’s rights under the Islamic Sharia;
All international conventions that Afghanistan has already joined, in particular the International Covenant on Violence against Women, the Political-Civil Covenant, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Charter of the United Nations, must be recognized by the upcoming Government;

The future government of Afghanistan must commit to respecting these rights and values enshrined in this resolution and preserving all the valuable achievements of women in the last two decades in this regard.
No sustainable development is possible without women.
After Herat, Kabul, and Nimroz, women in the Balkh province protested for their rights.