On the 1st of July, Yasmine Darwish spoke during the Urgent Debate on Human Rights of Afghan women and girls. Yasmine strongly condemned that she had to reaffirm something that should not need to be said in 2022: women's human rights are Human Rights. She denounced the existence of more than 30 policies systematically eliminating women and girls from all aspects of society. Measures such as the suspension of girls’ secondary education are depriving 1.1 million girls of a future. The severe barriers to employment, the absence of opportunities to participate in political and public life, as well as the limits on freedom of movement, association, and expression, fit the pattern of absolute gender segregation and are aimed at making women invisible in society. In addition, she denounced the harsh manner with which the de facto authorities have responded to Afghan women claiming their fundamental rights, with reports of peaceful protesters beaten, ill-treated and arbitrarily detained.

Meezaan and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) warn that such structural discrimination and violence is deeply damaging for the country’s prospects of future recovery and development. Afghan women deserve to live in dignity and to actively participate in building their country after years of occupation and war.