About Our Research

 

The WRN has been conducting feminist qualitative participatory research called “Community Conversations” for over a decade. The WRN’s body of work honors the voices of women documented; creates an avenue for women’s testimony across caste, class, religion, ethnicity, and national borders to identify gendered concerns and needs; demands accountability for abuses perpetrated by state and non-state actors; and highlights women’s innovative organizing ability. This research documents the voices of marginalized women in conflict zones, focusing on the impact of Taliban rule on Afghan Women within Afghanistan as well as those who have fled to India and Pakistan. The research highlights various issues within the Gender Apartheid Lens with a focus on internally displaced persons/refugees as well as minorities and women human rights defenders. The 2023 report will be launched in several locations including the United Kingdom, Canada, The United States, and Switzerland, with associated advocacy efforts based on the recommendations from Afghan women on the ground.

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New research highlights various issues within the Gender Apartheid Lens on Afghan Women’s Struggle

under the Taliban

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London: Women’s Regional Network (WRN), a network of women civil society leaders working together to advance women's rights and regional peace in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, launched its reports developed based on the feminist participatory research, Community Conversations titled ‘Afghan Women’s Struggle under the Taliban’ at the House of Lords, UK Parliament on 7 December 2023. This research documents the voices of marginalized women in conflict zones, focused on the impact of Taliban rule on Afghan Women within Afghanistan as well as those who have fled to India and Pakistan. The research was funded by Womenkind Worldwide, a women's rights organisation and a UK-registered charity.

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Fifty special invited guests representing civil society, policy makers, Afghan women, researchers, academia and media attended the launch of the community conversation reports and eighty participants were connected online.

At the launch, the reports were presented to Andrew McCoubrey, the UK Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Baroness Fiona Hodgson of Abinger, Vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Women, Peace & Security.

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Following the launch, the WRN team had various bilateral meetings with nonprofits in London, including a briefing about the research findings to Alex Cameron, Head of Afghanistan Programmes and Policy Department at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) of the Government of the United Kingdom.

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The reports call for diplomatic pressure on the Taliban to respect and guarantee women's rights, with measurable inclusion benchmarks in education and the workforce. It urges nations with feminist foreign policies to prioritize women's rights in Afghanistan and offer scholarships and asylum to Afghan women affected by the Taliban’s actions. The reports provide practical and specific recommendations to address the challenges and limitations, emphasizing the protection of women’s rights, the provision of mental health services, enhanced access to justice and the equitable distribution of humanitarian aid with an inclusive, diverse and survivor-centric approach.

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The research highlights various issues within the Gender Apartheid Lens with a focus on internally displaced persons/refugees as well as minorities and women human rights defenders. The 2023 report will also be launched in several locations, including Canada, the United States, and Switzerland, with associated advocacy efforts based on the recommendations from Afghan women on the ground.