The basic rights of women and girls are not respected, studying and working have been made practically impossible. However, according to the Afghan women interviewed for the new report, Finland’s previous development cooperation in the country has not been wasted.
The extreme Islamic Taliban movement came to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. When they came to power, the Taliban said they had reformed. It said it respects women’s rights in a different way than during its previous period in power from 1996 to 2001.
Now, less than a year and a half later, these promises have turned out to be empty. Girls’ schooling ends at primary school, and they cannot go to middle school, high school or university. It has become practically impossible for women to work. Their movement is severely restricted and earning a living is extremely difficult.
– Nothing became of the second Taliban, but exactly the same Taliban that was in power before, says the journalist and non-fiction writer Katri Merikallio. Merikallio has written the one published on Wednesday by the Women’s Confederation of Women’s Associations of the Afghanistan Women’s Voice survey (you will switch to another service).
Afghanistan has been at war for more than 40 years. As a result, there are hundreds of thousands of households in the country that are supported by a single female widow. In the current situation, they no longer have any livelihood, says Merikallio.
The problem is deepened by the fact that the Taliban banned female aid workers from working in Afghanistan in December. This makes it difficult to get help.
– When there are many households run only by women, aid does not reach everyone if it is only delivered by men, says the development cooperation inspector Sanna Käki From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the morning of on Wednesday.
Islamic countries are also pressuring the Taliban to let girls go to school
At the same time that the Taliban has pushed Afghan women to the brink, the international pressure towards them has also increased. There is a particularly strong demand to allow girls to go to school.
– The Islamic countries are also putting a lot of pressure on the Taliban now. What the Taliban is currently doing has nothing to do with Islam, says Merikallio.
Afghan women: Finland’s work for us has not been wasted
Katri Merikallio explained to the Confederation of Women’s Organizations what kind of actor Afghan women now see Finland as. 30 Afghan women were interviewed for the survey.
Women’s perception of Finland was very positive. They saw Finland as a partner who genuinely listens to their views. The women felt that the work that Finland has done in Afghanistan for women’s rights has not been wasted.
In the period before the Taliban came to power, for example, attitudes regarding girls’ rights changed.
– A little pointed; if the girl who was raped before was killed in Afghanistan, now she is no longer killed, but the family demands justice for their daughter. This is a big change within society. Whether we can stick to this remains to be seen, says Merikallio.
Merikallio says that Afghan women are now finding their own ways to promote education. Finland previously trained journalists in Afghanistan. One of the journalists trained by Finland has opened a radio channel that reaches 600 thousand households in northern Afghanistan. He has started a school on the radio for girls locked up at home. It works despite the orders of the Taliban.
Watch the whole conversation in ‘s morning: