Women in Afghanistan and Iran are fighting anti- woman regimes and forces
We are celebrating the international women’s day at a time that a strong wave of struggle and resistance against organised state, social and domestic violence against women is shaping in various forms.
The women in Afghanistan and Iran have been particularly involved in the fight against oppression and inequality because they have been fighting with the backwards and fundamentalists’ forces and their international backer in the last four decades. The women in Afghanistan and Iran in addition to the oppression that every woman suffer from the patriarchal system in the forms of tradition, culture, religion and law, they have been suffering from the theocratic and fundamentalist states and forces that have greatly intensified that oppression.
The anti monarchy revolution of the Iranian people was stolen by Khomeini and his religious gangs with the cooperation of the western powers. As soon as Islamic regime seized the power they organised vicious attacks against women’s right and their role in the society.
At the same time Afghanistan became a battle field for the interventions and occupations of the powerful western and Eastern powers and amidst such a situation the Jihadi and fundamentalist forces with direct military and financial support of imperialists became stronger and as a result they started to attacked women and their rights more than anything else. The 2001 occupation of Afghanistan by the US and its western allies in fact was not aimed to liberate the women but they were following their global interests.
In Afghanistan and Iran increasing number of young women and girls are resisting against state and social oppressions and inequalities and they also pay the price for it. Some have to run away from home, some will go to jail but they refuse to surrender. More than half of imprisoned women in Afghanistan are in jail because of “immoral” behaviour. They have been convicted because of running away from home to flee domestic violence, forced marriage or sexual abuse….
In Iran the Islamic regime in 4 decade of rule has been trying to prove its Islamic character by enforcing anti-women laws and increased pressure on women. But the struggle of Iranian women against forced veil along with the December- January uprising of the people has taken a new height with the courageous offensive of women who are removing their Hejab and defying the Islamic regime’s law and risking long term imprisonments. This action has infuriated the Islamic regime leaders but has gained tremendous amount of support from the masses.
On the occasion of 8th March we are well aware that there are many women and girls among refugees and immigrants from Afghanistan, Iran and other parts of the world that are forced to leave their home and their country in order to flee domestic, state or fundamentalist groups’ violence. And we are also aware that many refugees and immigrants despite of such a move are still suffering from the violence and gender oppressions and are going through the same or different forms of the oppression and inequalities.
Sexual assault, violence and rape are all far too common in the refugee camps in Europe. Minors are assaulted and women are raped and forced to pay for smuggling with their bodies. Increasing number of women refugees become the victims of sex trafficking and are forced to prostitution. The inhumane policies of the Imperialists (US, UK, Australia and other European) countries against the refugees and closure the borders has resulted multiple forms of vulnerability and insecurity for women refugees. We loudly say that such an inhumane situation that women refugees are going through should not be tolerated. The situation clearly cries for a World without Border in which no woman and no human is oppressed, exploited or is subjected to violence and discrimination.