"As long as the Taliban remain the reality on the ground in Afghanistan, we cannot afford to waste time doing nothing. In my role, I have tried to help smooth the discussions between the IOC and those currently in control, focusing on the sport rights of women and girls and particularly primary school girls who are still inside Afghanistan. They are not about legitimising any government, but they are very important for creating tangible opportunities for future generations of young boys and girls in Afghanistan."
"The reality is that when you take a public stand for women's rights you do become a target, but I believe strongly in communication and engagement,"
Girls in Afghanistan are banned from schools beyond age 12, and women are barred from most jobs, public services and playing sport. Samira Asghari lives in exile and served as Afghanistan's first IOC member in 2018. Asghari supports engaging with those in control to advocate for women's and girls' sporting and educational rights while accepting the personal risks of publicly speaking out. Asghari has worked to smooth discussions between the IOC and Taliban authorities, concentrating on sport rights and primary school girls who remain inside Afghanistan. Asghari argues that international acceptance requires respecting women's rights to education and sport.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]