Silent vigils for Afghanistan women this weekend

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Thread of locations for the first silent vigils for Afghan women and girls being held in the UK this weekend. All vigils are at 4pm on Saturday 7 December 2024 unless otherwise specified.

Here are some organisations helping women and girls in Afghanistan:

Women for Afghan Women (WAW) is a grassroots civil society organisation dedicated to protecting and promoting the rights of disenfranchised Afghan women and girls in Afghanistan and New York. You can answer their urgent appeal by donating here.

Madre is a global women’s rights organisation providing long-term support to women -led groups that are impacted by war and disaster in inaccessible areas. They are calling for funds to facilitate an urgent underground escape and support network in Afghanistan. Donate here.

International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives have been upended by war, conflict and natural disasters around the world. They have been responding in Afghanistan since 1988. IRC are appealing for funding to help them continue to deliver aid to support children and families in Afghanistan. You can help them continue their work by donating here.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works to promote and protect the rights of children and women in Afghanistan and have a presence in every region. Donate here.

The Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is an innovative partnership empowering local women to be a force for crisis response and lasting peace. They galvanise support from across the globe to support the efforts of women working on the frontlines of the world’s most intractable conflicts. WPHF are supporting local women’s organisations in Afghanistan to sustain their work on the front lines of conflict and crisis. Donate here.

Afghanaid is a humanitarian and development organisation, working with millions of deprived and excluded families in some of the poorest and most remote communities in Afghanistan. They build basic services, improve livelihoods, strengthen the rights of women and children, help communities protect against natural disasters and respond to humanitarian emergencies. Donate here.

Global Fund for Women are a leading funder of gender justice organisations and movements worldwide. They are funding gender justice groups in Afghanistan and are working to protect and relocate women human rights defenders who are in danger. Donate here.

Thank you!

Storm Darragh might make outside very uncomfortable.

Yes but nothing like how uncomfortable the lives of Afghan women and girls

No, but Cardiff for eg has a red warning of wind and Amber of rain. That’s life threatening. It won’t work well as awareness raising if nobody sees it because they are indoors…

Thank you for this info

Sadly many of these are cancelled. Definitely cancelled in Bristol, Somerset and Dorset, and Wales.
There will be further vigils apparently.

I would love to come as equally horrified about the situation, but can’t make it this weekend.

Will look out for future vigils.

It’s so horrible. I think we do need to stop aid and apply sanctions on the regime as this is so utterly horrific. If it was one national or ethnic group against another, rather than men against women, there’d surely be outcry?

Did they say why they were cancelled?

Well yes. Compare the international sanctions and political pressure applied to South Africa in response to racial apartheid, and the West's response to the current sex-based apartheid in Afghanistan. Women do not matter.

We had embassies in SA, there were lines of communication, there is little of this in Afghanistan, its a closed society, who are impervious to Western demands, similar to North Korea.

But what we could do is put huge diplomatic and trade pressures on Arab states that do have influence.... we wont do that though, UK jobs matter too much and do we want even higher energy costs? far better to do little to nothing 😡

The storm. Because people can't travel to them, public transport is out and roads closed etc.

The next vigils will be 1 February for those interested

Sending a message. And telling our government we are paying attention
We need to stop all aid and boycott them in sport & business

Please also consider supporting the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association https://acaa.org.uk/

Here's a link to the WRN Afghanistan webpage. They have posters, leaflets and merchandise you can use to raise awareness.

The silent vigils will be a regular event every 4-6 weeks leading up to a mass participation Vigil event in London next Spring/Summer.

FOLLOW US ON X - @WRNAfghanistan
FOR LOCAL VIGIL INFORMATION