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Campaigns in support of Afghan activists and human rights

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Campaigns to support Afghan activists — emerged after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, and some civil society organizations turned to crowdfunding to finance rescue and humanitarian activities. During this time, initiatives by the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations emerged. As well as campaigns such as «Voices of Afghan Girls»[1] and «60 Afghan Women Leaders» aimed at canceling the deportation of Afghan women activists, organized after reports of the Pakistani government's intention to mass deport Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan.[2] As part of the campaigns, human rights organizations have been involved in rescuing women, organizing their relocation and helping them obtain humanitarian visas.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Background

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After the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, severe restrictions were imposed on women.[9] Since coming to power, the Taliban have gradually imposed increasing restrictions on Afghan women's movement, presence in public places, access to education and health care, and right to work.[10] This has prompted women to migrate and seek political asylum in other countries. Women who have been unable to leave due to lack of financial resources or access to information are at increased risk of sexual and gender-based violence.[10]

A total of 800,000 Afghan nationals have been forcibly expelled from Pakistan since 2023, 70% of them women and children.[11] Pakistan has increased pressure on Afghan refugees to leave the country despite the serious risk of persecution and economic hardship under Taliban rule.[11]

Campaigns and petition

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MyRedLine

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In 2019, the MyRedLine campaign was launched by Afghan journalist Farahnaz Forotan, with the support of UN Women.[12][13][14] The campaign aims to express the position of Afghan women and men on peace and human rights, based on the idea that peace cannot be achieved in exchange for rights and freedom. The campaign took place against the backdrop of U.S. attempts to negotiate peace with the Taliban. The campaign was shared on social media under the hashtag #MyRedLine.[15]

Voices of Afghan girls

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In 2023, the one-month campaign «Voices of Afghan Girls» was launched in collaboration with Afghan student Somaya Farooqi and Education Cannot Wait by the UN.[16] It was organized on the second anniversary of the Taliban's seizure of power in Afghanistan. The goal of the campaign is to bring the stories of Afghan girls to the public and the world community, and to push for the restoration of their right to education,[1] in particular the ban on girls over the age of 12 from attending secondary school. The campaign was disseminated under the hashtag #AfghanGirlsVoices.[16]

60 Afghan Women Leaders

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In early 2025, the Pakistani authorities asked all foreign nationals, most of whom are Afghans, to leave the country, failing which they will be deported.[3][11] The Pakistani government has set 31 March as the deadline for deportation of all foreigners.[11] Among them are human rights defenders, teachers, journalists and peaceful protesters, together with their families, about 360 people.[17]

Human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have called on the Pakistani government to immediately halt the deportation of Afghan nationals, the persecution of refugees, and to “give those facing deportation the opportunity to seek protection,”[18][19] stating that the Pakistani authorities' actions violate the principle of non-refoulement enshrined in international human rights law.[20]

Netherlands feminist activist Nadja Muller organized a petition and the eponymous “60 Afghan Women Leaders” campaign on the change.org platform in an attempt to stop the deportation of women.[21][22] She launched a petition asking for time for the women and their families to obtain humanitarian visas and move from Pakistan to third countries.[23]

The petition was addressed to the government of Pakistan and the Netherlands. The petition spread massively on social media and especially on TikTok with the hashtag #SaveAfghanWomen. As of early April 2025, the petition has been signed by about 500,000 people.[23]

The international community has launched a campaign to help women activists seek asylum in other countries. Various human rights organizations, including HeartWork, Food for Thought Afghanistan, Udhara, and the global human rights group Avaaz, have launched an active campaign to rescue women, organize relocation, and help women obtain humanitarian visas.[24][22]

Brazilian government has indicated a willingness to accept the women in its country, but paperwork and authorization from Pakistani authorities is required. About $1.5 million is needed to evacuate the entire group.[25][17]

Two-thirds of the activists were arrested, raped and tortured by the Taliban, according to petition organizer Muller.[21]

In late March, a number of sources revealed that two women from Pakistan had been deported ahead of schedule.[26] This was confirmed by petition organizer and activist Muller.

As of early April, it was reported that the Pakistani government had agreed to postpone the deportations. The Associated Press agency with reference to official documents reported that arrests and deportations were postponed until April 10 in connection with the Islamic holidays of Eid al-Fitr.[27][28]

Opinions

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According to the British edition Financial Times, one of the reasons for the tightening of migration policy in Pakistan was a sharp decline in international funding. In 2023, the U.S. provided 42 % of the humanitarian aid budget to accommodate Afghan refugees in Pakistan. With Donald Trump's return to power, almost all foreign policy initiatives, including resettlement and refugee assistance programs, have been frozen.[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Голоса афганских девушек – новая глобальная кампания в поддержку образования | Новости ООН". news.un.org (in Russian). 2023-08-15. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  2. ^ Останина, Валерия (2025-04-20). "Как продвигается дело по спасению афганских активисток | Парма-Новости" (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  3. ^ a b "Pakistan asks illegal foreigners, Afghan Citizen Card holders to leave by March 31". Reuters. 2025-03-07. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  4. ^ ur-Rehman, Zia (2025-03-31). "Uncertainty Torments Afghan Refugees Facing Deportation from Pakistan". The New York Times. 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  5. ^ "Правозащитники собирают подписи и средства, чтобы спасти 60 афганских активисток от депортации". Podrobno.uz (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  6. ^ Редакция (2025-03-27). "Пакистан депортирует 60 афганских активисток". Arbat media (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  7. ^ "Announcement on the launch of the Afghan Women Leaders Forum | EEAS". www.eeas.europa.eu. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  8. ^ "Afghan women's rights activists in Pakistan fear deportation – DW – 03/17/2025". dw.com. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  9. ^ "Afghanistan: Taliban ban women from universities amid condemnation". 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  10. ^ a b "Afghan Women and Migration in the Era of Restrictions". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  11. ^ a b c d "Pakistan intensifies pressure on Afghan refugees, NGO warns". euronews. 2025-03-19. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  12. ^ "#MyRedLine – A social movement cataloguing where Afghan's stand on women's rights and peace". UN Women – Asia-Pacific. 2019-03-15. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  13. ^ "Afghan women go online to set #myredline for peace". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  14. ^ Najibullah, Farangis (2019-05-31). "Afghan Women Drawing #MyRedLine For Peace With The Taliban". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  15. ^ "Для чего афганские женщины рисуют «красные линии»". realnoevremya.ru/.
  16. ^ a b Wait, Education Cannot. "Призыв афганских девочек к защите их права на образование звучит громче, чем когда-либо". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  17. ^ a b S.A, Telewizja Polska. "Пакистан готовится к массовой депортации афганских беженцев. Возвращение для некоторых означает пытки, тюрьму или смертную казнь". vot-tak.tv (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  18. ^ "В TikTok призывают спасти афганских активисток, которых могут депортировать из Пакистана. На родине им грозят тюрьма и смертная казнь". www.pravilamag.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  19. ^ team, DOXA (2025-03-24). "Активистки движения за права афганских женщин опасаются за свою жизнь из-за депортаций из Пакистана". DOXA. Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  20. ^ "Правозащитники призвали Пакистан прекратить массовую репатриацию афганских беженцев". fergana.agency (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-06-16.
  21. ^ a b "В TikTok призывают спасти афганских активисток, которых могут депортировать из Пакистана. На родине им грозят тюрьма и смертная казнь". www.pravilamag.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-03-28.
  22. ^ a b Кожевникова, Екатерина (2025-03-29). "В TikTok борются за жизнь 60 афганских активисток, которых ждет казнь в Кабуле". Ямал-Медиа. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  23. ^ a b "Отправляют на смерть: пользователи TikTok борются за жизни 60 афганских активисток, которых могут депортировать в Кабул". Подмосковье Сегодня - Mosregtoday. 2025-03-29. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  24. ^ Останина, Валерия (2025-03-24). "Международное сообщество пытается спасти афганских активисток". Парма-Новости (in Russian). Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  25. ^ ""Нам не оставалось ничего, кроме борьбы"". SOTA (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2025-03-27. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  26. ^ "Пакистан намерен депортировать десятки афганских девушек: им грозит смертная казнь". www.mk.ru (in Russian). 2025-03-24. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  27. ^ "Pakistan Begins Deportation Of Undocumented Afghan Migrants". www.afintl.com. 2025-04-01. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  28. ^ "Pakistan delays Afghan deportation deadline due to Eid holidays". The Express Tribune. 2025-04-01. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  29. ^ Jilani, Humza (2025-03-30). "Pakistan threatens to deport Afghan refugees after Donald Trump's funding cuts". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
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