Afghan women took to the streets of Frankfurt on Saturday, August 8, demanding the restoration of their fundamental rights as the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power approaches.
Protesters chanted slogans including “Education, Work, Freedom,” saying that five years after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, women and girls remain excluded from education, employment, social freedoms and equal participation in public life.
Organizers described the demonstration as the beginning of a week of civil activism ahead of the anniversary. They said Afghan women inside and outside the country would continue to campaign for their rights despite repression, displacement and migration.
In a statement, the organizers recalled that Afghan women had protested against the Taliban on the streets of Kabul five years ago. Although many have since been forced into exile, they said the location and form of their struggle had changed, while their demands remained the same.
The protesters also criticized the international community, arguing that the rights and freedoms of millions of Afghan women and girls have been sidelined in political dealings with the Taliban. They accused some governments of prioritizing engagement and accommodation over human rights.
They warned that any gradual recognition or normalization of relations with the Taliban should not come at the expense of Afghan women’s rights.
The demonstration also called for continued protests in cities where Afghan communities live abroad. Organizers said women across Afghanistan, including in Kabul, Herat, Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar, continue to face extensive restrictions, while Afghan women in the diaspora see themselves as responsible for amplifying their voices internationally.
The Frankfurt protest was organized with the participation of women’s rights activists and human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and the “Women, Life, Freedom” association.
The protesters concluded by stressing that while the Taliban may control Afghanistan, they have not, in their view, succeeded in extinguishing Afghan women’s demand for education, work, freedom and fundamental rights.
