Women who have suffered human rights violations appeared at a UN mock tribunal last night, the eve of today’s 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Speaking out on issues such as domestic violence, abuse, and the denial of rights that women face every day, the women’s appearance served as a testimony to the world that there is still a long way to go until equality between the sexes is realized.
“Fifty years after governments of the world proclaimed the fundamental principles of human rights for all, women throughout the world remain woefully unprotected,” stated Charlotte Bunch, director of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership at Rutger’s University.
Women from Afghanistan recounted suffering they endured from the Taliban, the brutal militia that now controls 90 percent of Afghanistan and has banned women from work, school, and proper medical care.
Zarghuna Waziri testified of her suffering under the Taliban due to her gender. She described being beaten unconscious for lifting a corner of her face covering so she could breathe. Waziri told of another beating she endured with other women and children while waiting at a Kabul hospital.
“Sick babies in their mothers’ arms fell on the floor,” she said. “And then the Taliban started beating doctors with whips and metal cables. We kept asking why? Why are you beating us?”
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