More than 79,000 people and organizations have signed a petition asking President Emmanuel Macron to welcome Afghan women committed to women’s rights and who wish to flee Afghanistan since the Taliban took power.
On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, nearly 79,000 people and organizations signed a petition calling for Afghan women committed to the feminist cause are welcomed in France. Published on change.org, the text is addressed to President Emmanuel Macron and his government. “France is proud to conduct feminist diplomacy. What support does Emmanuel Macron intend to offer to Afghan feminists who risk execution if they are intercepted by the Taliban? We must welcome those who wish”, can we read. Among the signatories, we notably count the association ONU Femmes France and the collective #Noutes.
As a reminder, Afghanistan has once again fallen into the hands of the Taliban after the departure of the various Western armies, in particular that of the United States, which had been deployed there for 20 years. On the spot, the population, and particularly the women, are preparing to be subjected to abuses.
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What measures in France to help Afghan women?
This petition, initiated by the organization Feminist outfitting, appeared two days after Emmanuel Macron’s speech. Monday August 16, 2021, the statements of the President of the Republic had not been unanimous. “We must protect ourselves against significant irregular migratory flows”, he said. This Wednesday, August 18, 2021, the European Commission called to speed up the reception of Afghan refugees by assisting on the “consideration of the gender dimension, so that we can help women and girls.” Government spokesman Gabriel Attal said France would respond present, but support for Afghans trying to flee their country must be “present at European and international level.”
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In the meantime, the petition recalls the urgency of the situation and the plight of Afghan women. “Whether they are feminist activists, judges, journalists, all say they fear particularly for their lives, convinced that the Taliban will not hesitate to execute them if they are caught.”, can we also read. It remains to be seen if on this plan, Emmanuel Macron will make women’s rights “the great cause” of his five-year term, as promised in 2017.