The Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) will host an event on August 22 to discuss geopolitics and women’s rights activism in Afghanistan.
The event will feature PRIO Global Fellow Jacqui True, who will address the geopolitical narratives of withdrawal from Afghanistan and the counter-narrative of women’s rights activism.
In a statement released by PRIO, True emphasized the political nature of gendered narratives, which often frame decisions regarding war and peace. “Such geopolitical narratives both enable the protection of women’s rights and violate them,” she noted. “Women’s rights have been used as a rhetorical device by security policymakers to justify foreign intervention or withdrawal.”
True is expected to discuss the evolving narratives concerning “Afghan women” that influenced U.S. policy on Afghanistan between 2018 and 2021, ultimately leading to the Taliban’s return to power. PRIO highlighted that the U.S. withdrawal prompted a counter-narrative emphasizing universal human rights, inclusive peace, and international recognition of the “gender apartheid” situation in Afghanistan.
Despite the end of the war, True argued that these counter-narratives, supported by political strategies, remain crucial for empowering marginalized women and legitimizing their activism against ongoing gender-based oppression in Afghanistan.
Following True’s introduction, a panel will delve into women’s activism in Afghanistan and explore how gendered, geopolitical narratives shape political realities and influence foreign policy decisions.
This event comes amid increasing restrictions on women in Afghanistan, imposed by the Taliban. Women are being deprived of education and work, with female public servants, including school teachers above grade six, recently seeing their salaries reduced to 5,000 Afghanis ($70).
