Is there anything we can do to help the women of Afghanistan?

[RJnomore1]

I’m sure you’ve all seen the desperate situation unfolding and as usual it’s women who will face the worst of it, I feel very powerless to help but I’m hoping someone here might have some ideas of things we could do that might help in some way?

Other than lobbying your MP, I can’t think of much. It won’t be safe for NGOs to remain there for much longer, if any are still there. I expect charities and NGOs will be able to help those whose families have been able to cross the border, but the women still there will be unreachable. There may be people still willing to educate them etc, but I’d imagine it would be done as before; very secretly. I’m frightened for them.

I agree with Sn0tnose - I can understand your desire to want to help.

I found one of the earlier threads on this on Mumsnet very disturbing. Lots of women effectively saying no-one should do anything "because this is the way these people live". Horrifying attitude.

I wish I could help, but I can’t think how.

I would like to know too. These are our sisters. I feel strongly about this.

I don't know op, there is a charity that supports the translators etc to get out.
To betray the people who worked for them is appalling and that will of course mean women and children.

The sad truth is women in this world are living in utter prisons with few freedoms totally dominated by men.

I don't know what can be done. 99% of the taliban premise seems to be mired in enslaving women.

They are all suffering. I see the men actually and feel so bad for them. They are so often forgotten but it's their culture to 'provide' and they look so helpless and defeated. Lost everything, dignity included. Can't care for their family

I feel worse for the men but I feel I'm alone with that

Sadly, I don’t believe that there is anything that can be done apart from supporting NGOs such as the Red Cross that are still operating there.
I have spent time there and am utterly devastated for all of the men, women and children who will suffer under the Taliban. Many of the men I worked with were forward looking and wanted so much better for their daughters. I think the only small hope is that the population will be harder to repress now than they were in the 90s. The Taliban were always there, waiting, it’s just shocking quite how fast the country has fallen.

In my last job I worked with housing on the resettlement scheme for translators. The men adapted quite quickly but most of their wives struggled. They were very young women, contemporary to Malala, and didn’t have birth certificates so no one knew what age they were. To get their certificates to come, someone looked at them and guessed an age and a date of birth.

They spoke no English and were illiterate in their own language.

They all had one or more small children and many were pregnant. The husbands clearly loved and cared for them and were almost all very nice blokes, and we owe them much for the help they gave to our troops at their own peril, but it was the women who were most disadvantaged. This my desire to help them as these girls were safe and cared for, their families at home are not and things are much worse than five years ago.

Of course this is not true for all Afghan women; one had been a teacher, was very well educated and had photos of her very lavish and beautiful wedding which we shared. Another single man had photos of his fiancé back in Kabul with her bmw and obviously well off family. But the vast majority were not like that and if I feel powerless to help, heaven knows how they and their families are feeling.

Someone on another thread mentioned the Linda norcroft foundation. It seems worth supporting.