Women should be included in future peace negotiations in Afghanistan

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Afghan evacuees from Afghanistan sit in a bus after the arrival of the second flight with 95 passengers at the International Airport in Tirana, Albania (Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The struggle for gender equality in in Afghanistan and other countries in the Middle East is a Middle Eastern struggle, but the governments of Europe and especially the USA must play a more supportive role in improving the lives of women.

This can be achieved by demanding their inclusion in peace negotiations and by making aid conditional upon the protection of women’s rights and their access to education and employment.

There must be no impunity for acts of social violence as part of a comprehensive approach to seeking peace, justice and national reconciliation in Afghanistan.