
[ad_1]
IIn the final days of the Afghan Republic—to counter the Taliban’s imminent takeover— Hazara journalist Mani She is a former aviator who publicly sang revolutionary poetry about women, freedom and justice in Kabul. Now she is on the run, waiting for the Australian government to grant her a humanitarian visa.
It’s been three years since Australia withdrew its last troops from Afghanistan AfghanistanDuring their more than two decades of presence, the country emerged from the ashes of civil war into relative peace and a fragile democracy, only to fall back into the darkness of fundamentalism under the Taliban.
Today, young women like Mani are bearing the brunt of this failed democratization project. Other Afghan women and their familiesShe desperately wants asylum in Australia – a place where she can live safely.
I have known Mani for many years. She is a courageous journalist from Afghanistan’s Hazara minority who has fought against the Islamic State and TalibanShe has been threatened and hunted by terrorists because of her profession, ideals and identity. But the young journalist persisted, fighting back against the militants with her critical reporting. She told me that she now has no time, no choice, and most importantly, no hope.
While stationed in Australia from 2001 to 2021, Mani had the opportunity to study and dream of a life full of opportunity and equality.
Now, at 25, she feels abandoned and at the mercy of a regime that has excluded women from all areas of public life.
“I have a dream, and I am committed to fostering the values of freedom and equality in Afghanistan through poetry and journalism,” she told me over the phone from an undisclosed location.
“But the world has left us at the mercy of wolves who beat, oppress and kill women without shame.”
When I asked her why she chose Australia for her humanitarian visa application, she said the country was a second home for the Hazara community, who thrived here and made a huge contribution to society. Yalda Hakim And wanted to be like her,” she said.
“The Girl of Rebellion and Enlightenment” remains her favorite poem; Many public gatherings in Kabul Warning to the Taliban against taking over the country:
Beating my chest for freedom
Wisdom
Bright as the sun
Shouting for freedom
A girl full of love and freedom
The Girl of Rebellion and Enlightenment
Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has empowered his regime’s morality police to ensure that women always fully cover their bodies, including their faces, with thick clothing in public.
This week, the regime went a step further ‘Scary’ law Women are prohibited from speaking in public. These laws view women’s voices as potential tools of “evil” to be censored, regulated, and suppressed.
This means that women are not allowed to sing or read aloud inside the house. The new law states: “When an adult woman needs to leave the house for a reason, she must cover her voice, face and body.”
Australia condemned the latest move to silence Afghan women and girls.
“We stand with Afghan women and girls in support of their human rights.” Foreign Minister Penny Wong tweeted This week.
But is Australia really doing all it can to ensure vulnerable and deserving women like Mani are given a fair chance of survival and safe refuge?
Mani submitted her visa application last year but didn’t receive a case number until February. “I haven’t heard anything from the[Home Office]since then,” she told me. “I’m in a state of desperate waiting while my options, resources and hope are fading away.”
To halt the grave erosion of human rights and reverse Afghanistan’s slide into darkness, Australia must stand with Afghan women and girls – starting with expediting their humanitarian visa applications and granting them the freedom they desperately need.
Only then can Australia say it has ensured Afghan women have a strong voice – and are no longer silenced.
[ad_2]
Source link