We, the undersigned organisations working to advance the human rights of persons of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC) call for the protection of women, children, LGBTIQ people and other vulnerable persons in Afghanistan.
Since 15 August, the Taliban-led takeover of Kabul’s Presidential Palace and the abrupt collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s government raises concerns over human rights and the safety of marginalised groups in the country. Besides LGBTIQ people and people of diverse SOGIESC, women, persecuted religious minorities, journalists and human rights defenders have come under threat, and many have gone into hiding out of fear.
We are concerned with alleged reports of the Taliban already implementing their strict version of the Sharia law, and it has been reported that many women and girls fear participating in public life and face the risk of being banned from going to school and university again. We are saddened to see the decades of progress made by women’s groups be potentially reversed suddenly and disastrously.
We also fear that LGBTIQ people will be further criminalised and persecuted, as authorities in the Taliban have made recent statements that death sentences will be reinstated for gay men. The Afghan LGBTIQ people have already been living in fear of violence and killings for a number of years, and we dread that this situation will escalate further.
In ILGA World’s latest State-Sponsored Homophobia (2020) report, Afghanistan is listed among countries for which there is no full legal certainty that the death penalty is the established punishment for consensual same-sex sexual acts (see here). The same report also updates on the explicit criminalising provisions of “same-sex conduct” under Section 646 of Afghanistan’s 2017 Penal Code and enforcement in recent years (see here).
While the Taliban has announced a “general amnesty” in Afghanistan and has called for women to join its government “according to Sharia law”, it is imperative that any form of governance that takes place, needs to empower women and minorities and be based on human rights and evidence-based practices. If the Taliban wants to include women, it needs to first stop preventing women from accessing public life and education and to not perpetuate any harm against women and minorities.
The crisis in Afghanistan is complex and difficult, but we remind the international community that it has a moral obligation—particularly those who have played a role in the development of the issue—to ensure that the political crisis is diffused via a solution that prioritises the self-determination of the Afghan people while protecting vulnerable persons from harm and violence.
We call for the following:
- We urge the Taliban to respect the rights of all people granted by the Constitution of Afghanistan, the international covenants ratified by Afghanistan, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international human rights norms, irrespective of their SOGIESC status.
- We demand that any effort to quell this political crisis will be made with the consultation of vulnerable people in Afghanistan including LGBTIQ persons and women. Their human rights must not be compromised for a political peace deal.
- We call on the international community to provide urgent humanitarian assistance and protection to all Afghans.
- We urge that countries open their borders and accept refugees and asylum seekers from Afghanistan. We commend Canada’s commitment to accepting 20,000 vulnerable Afghans and prioritising LGBTIQ persons, women leaders and other groups, and look to other countries to follow suit.
- We call on everyone to work together to provide support in their own capacity. We call on individuals and groups to make donations, donors to make emergency funding available, and for organisations to assist in coordinating the collection and distribution of funds, noting the lack of LGBTIQ organisations in Afghanistan.
Endorsed by the following groups:
- 6Rang (Iranian Lesbian and Transgender Network)
- Access Planet Organization
- African Trans Network
- Aleph Melbourne
- All Out
- All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
- Alouen
- Amnesty International Taiwan Section
- Antalya Feminist Kolektif
- ASEAN Feminist LBQ Network
- ASEAN SOGIE Caucus
- Asia Pacific Transgender Network
- Asia-Pacific Rainbow Catholics Network
- Bangladesh Queer Partnership Platform- EQUAL
- Beyond Borders Malaysia
- Bisdak Pride, Inc.
- Bisexual Alliance Victoria
- Boys of Bangladesh (Formerly)
- Campaign for Change
- CAN-Myanmar
- CEDAW Committee of Trinidad & Tobago
- Centre for Civil and Political Rights
- Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) Malaysia
- COC Netherlands
- Community Welfare and Development Fund
- Covenants Watch
- CPCD Studio
- Dawei Probono Lawyer Network
- Deaf Rainbow
- Diversity and Solidarity Trust – Sri Lanka
- Diversity Lounge Toyama
- Doshisha University
- Edge Effect
- ELLY Fukui
- Equal Asia Foundation
- EQUAL GROUND, Sri Lanka
- GAYa NUSANTARA Foundation
- Gays Without Borders
- Helem
- Human Dignity Trust
- Human Rights Defenders World Summit
- ILGA Asia
- ILGA World
- Iloilo Pride Team
- Inclusive Bangladesh
- International Service for Human Rights
- International Women’s Rights Action Watch Asia Pacific
- Intersex Philippines
- isha lisha – Haifa feminist center
- Ishikawa Conference for LGBT
- Iwate Rainbow Network
- J-ALL (Japan Alliance for LGBT Legislation)
- JEJAKA
- justice for sisters
- Kampania Przeciw Homofobii | Campaign Against Homophobia (Poland)
- Kanazawa Rainbow Pride
- Kaos GL
- Korean Sexual-minority Culture & Rights Center
- LakanBini Advocates Pilipinas
- Legal Dignity
- Let’s Breakthrough, Inc.
- Lezpa
- LGBT Centre
- LOUD (Lesbians of Undeniable Drive)
- LOVE4ONE
- M-coalition
- MANODIVERSA
- Manushya Foundation
- Marsa Sexual Health Center
- Matimba
- Metro Manila Pride
- Midneunfemi
- Monsoon Malaysia (MM)
- MOSAIC Mena
- Movimiento de Integración y Liberación Homosexual (MOVILH)
- Mujer-LGBT Organization, Inc
- Namibia Diverse Women Association
- Nijiiro Diversity
- Noboprobhaat
- Nőkért Egyesület (Association for Women), Hungary
- NPO Tokyo Rainbow Pride
- Oogachaga
- Outrage Magazine
- OutRight Action International
- Pacific Human Rights Initiative
- Palestinian Working Woman for Development “PWWSD”
- Pan Africa ILGA
- PELANGI Campaign
- Persatuan Sahabat Wanita, Selangor (Friends of Women Organisation, Selangor)
- Pioneer Filipino Transgender men Movement
- PLACE TOKYO
- Planet Ally
- PLUHO (People Like Us Hang Out!)
- Pride House Tokyo
- PROHAM
- Proud Futures
- PT Foundation
- Queer Voices of Bhutan
- Queers4Climate
- Rainbow Action Against Sexual-Minority Discrimination
- Rainbow Egypt
- RainbowJesus (무지개예수)
- RFSU – Sexual and Reproductive Rights for All, IPPF member
- Sans Tabous
- Sayoni
- SEED Malaysia
- Seoul Human Rights Film Festival in South Korea
- SGRainbow
- SHARE, center for Sexual rigHts And Reproductive justicE
- Sisters in Islam, Malaysia
- SOGILAW
- SORANIJI HIMEJI
- Success Capital Organisation
- Swasti
- Taiwan Association for Human Rights
- Taiwan Equality Campaign
- Taiwan Gender Equity Education Association
- Taiwan LGBTQ Family Rights Advocacy
- Taiwan Tongzhi (LGBTQ+) Hotline Association
- The Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK)
- The Global Center for LGBTI+ Freedom and Education
- The Institute for Studies on Society, Economy & Environment – iSEE
- Thorne Harbour Health
- Together4Change: DAWOOM
- Transgender Equality Hong Kong
- Transgender Victoria
- Transpiration Power
- Trikone Australasia Inc
- Tufts University
- UP Babaylan
- Visayas LBTQ Network
- Women Against Rape
- Women for Women’s Rights (WWHR)
- Youth Voices Count
- にじ♡はぐ 石川
- ひだまりの会
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