Afghan and Spanish Women Protest in Brussels Calling for EU Action on Women's Rights in Afghanistan

Afghan and Spanish women protested in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, demanding immediate action by the European Union regarding the situation of women in Afghanistan.

The gathering occurred simultaneously with the reopening of schools in Afghanistan without the presence of girls above the sixth grade. Protesters chanted slogans such as "Shame on Europe" and "Free Afghan women" while condemning the systematic violation of women's rights and what they described as gender apartheid.

Participants described the European Union's silence as shameful and expressed solidarity with Afghan women. Afghan women shared personal experiences of deprivation from education, work and basic freedoms, urging the international community not to remain silent.

The protesters demanded that the European Union make its aid conditional on respecting women's rights and take practical steps including creating safe pathways for refugees, increasing support for women's institutions and providing educational opportunities for Afghan girls. They warned that continued inaction could lead to deeper crises.

Organizers including Khadijeh Amin and Golchehre Yaftali read a statement describing the situation as educational genocide against girls, with five years of deprivation amounting to the destruction of a generation. Masouda Kohistani delivered the statement to the European Parliament as part of the #TodasABruselas campaign.

The 1405 academic year started without girl students above the sixth grade. The Taliban Ministry of Education said that the school and madrasa curriculum up to the sixth grade has been prepared according to the wishes and interpretation of the Taliban and approved by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban.

A new assessment by Save the Children shows that only one out of every five children attends school in the northern provinces of Afghanistan.