ALL OUR ASPIRATIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED

Larmina

NGO founder and activist, Nimruz

“I am a human rights activist, civil society activist and founder of a non-governmental organization in Afghanistan who has been working for women rights, youth and children for the past 12 years.

Before the Taliban takeover, besides my projects within my organization, I was busy with advocacy for women’s rights, civil society activities and social activities. Further, I was monitoring the Doha dialogues and providing information for people regarding the Doha dialogues’ achievements and results.

For now, as always, I am engaged in human rights activities and supporting the right to equality of women in society.

There have been many changes in my life since the takeover. My mental state has completely changed.

All our aspirations and achievements have been destroyed. Women were placed in isolation; people were displaced; schools and universities were closed to women; and the right to work was taken from women. Our young people are in a bad mental state, which is painful and sad for me.

My dream is to save Afghanistan from this situation and see men and women alike achieve mental and psychological peace. The people of Afghanistan have the right to a peaceful life and do not deserve such deprivation.

After the Taliban takeover, it was difficult to work, but we have continued to work and our priority has been to break the silence and do something for women.

Although we planned to establish the Women’s Peace Museum during the Republic, we established it after the Taliban came to Kabul. It commemorates the lives of the many women who have fought for human rights and a peaceful life for Afghan society over the past 20 years. At the beginning we faced many problems. The district governor imprisoned our colleagues … But after a lot of problems and efforts, we were able to continue the activities of the Women’s Peace Museum, if only in the centre of Kabul.

Since the women and youth of Afghanistan are in a bad situation of extreme isolation, we organize sports programmes for the girls and boys of Afghanistan, with football for boys and table tennis for girls in closed halls. The girls had a table tennis tournament two months ago. We’ve also held football matches for the boys.

In addition, we are promoting people’s fundamental rights to a peaceful life and prosperity, at the national and international level, and we will continue to do so in the future.

Our hope for Afghanistan’s women and girls is that they will be able to live in a non-gender-discriminatory society where women and girls in all political, social, cultural and educational spheres have equal rights to men and boys, are respected and can achieve their rights.

To support women, it is necessary to give them their basic rights and Afghan women should be involved in politics, economics and decision-making process. Women’s institutions should be supported, women’s work should be provided through institutions, and women should not be deprived of their rights.”

I WAS MOSTLY IN CONTACT WITH WOMEN AND WHEN THEY LOST THEIR JOBS AND I COULDN’T DEFEND THEIR RIGHTS, THIS MADE ME VERY DEPRESSED