Join the Feminist Majority and other women’s rights activists in a demonstration against UNOCAL this Monday, June 1.
California-based UNOCAL is part of the consortium with the Taliban to build a multi-billion dollar oil and gas pipeline in Afghanistan. The Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic militia, has plunged Afghanistan into a brutal state of gender apartheid in which women and girls have been stripped of their basic human rights. Join women’s groups and human rights groups to demand that UNOCAL stop the pipeline until the Taliban restores full human rights for women and girls.
DATE: Monday, June 1, 1998
TIME: 9:30am-10:30am (Assemble at 9:00am @ the corner of Imperial Hwy and Valencia Ave.)
WHERE: 376 Valencia Ave. Brea, CA
WHAT: Unocal Stockholder’s Meeting
Gender Apartheid Under Taliban Rule:
Women are forbidden to work outside the home
Girls and women are prohibited from attending schools and universities
Women are forced to wear the burqa-a garment which completely shrouds the body under thick layer of fabric, leaving only a small mesh opening through which to breathe and see.
Women can not leave the confines of their homes unless accompanied by a close male relative.
Homes with women must have their windows painted to hide the women from view. Male doctors are not allowed to examine women.
Women are forbidden to wear white socks, and their shoes can not make noise when they walk.
Gender Apartheid – The Consequence: Women have been stoned to death for traveling with a men who were not their relatives. Women have been beaten for not being “properly” dressed. The ban on women working has thrown tens of thousands of families into destitution. A small number of female medical staff is allowed to work, but are continually harassed. Because women cannot be treated by male doctors, they are severely limited in their access to medical care. Women have been shot at for leaving their homes without a male escort to receive medical care. At the state orphanage in Kabul, the girls have not been allowed outside since September of 1996.
This campaign is sponsored by over 100 women’s groups, including the Feminist Majority, NOW, and Women For. For more info call, 213.651.0495
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