Purple Saturdays Movement Calls for Urgent and Decisive UN Action Against Taliban Crimes

In protests and a statement released today, Sunday (October 13), members of the movement said: "Afghan women have been the primary victims of the Taliban's systematic violence for over three years and have faced widespread human rights abuses, including horrific rapes in prisons, forced marriages to Taliban fighters, and kidnappings from the streets in the name of enforcing Sharia law and the hijab."

The statement said that the continued crimes against women have not only shattered their lives but have also challenged the global commitment to human rights and justice.

The Purple Saturdays Movement emphasized in the statement that "the UN and global human rights organizations must act decisively against the Taliban's crimes, especially against women, before the humanitarian catastrophe in Afghanistan spirals out of control, and end engagement with the Taliban by imposing severe pressures and sanctions, humanitarian intervention, and independent monitoring of the group's crimes."

The movement said that the fight against Taliban crimes is not just a battle for Afghan women but that a delay in a global response could set a dangerous pattern for other oppressive regimes worldwide.

The Purple Saturdays Movement also noted that "the fight against Taliban crimes is a test of the global commitment to human rights and justice and should not be limited to words; the international community should not merely watch the collapse of women's human rights in Afghanistan."