Mahbouba Seraj, Human Rights Defender and Humanitarian
Mahbouba Seraj stopped by at Kota for breakfast on May 12th midst a very busy schedule. Among other things, she was invited to speak at the Vital Voices Open House in Washington DC, and also came to New York to receive an award from the Women’s Refugee Commission. Last year, our Andrew Blane Memorial Fund for Human Rights Defenders gave Ms. Seraj a monetary award for her longtime human rights and women’s rights advocacy.
Despite having lived in the US for years, and holding a US passport, Ms. Seraj chose to remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover. She now runs the only remaining shelter for women (currently 69) and children in Kabul; the Taliban having closed all others. The women are all domestic abuse survivors. At great risk for herself, she defies the ban on work outside the home for women, by asking the Taliban: are you going to send men to take care of these women and children?
During our conversation, Ms. Seraj pointed out that the Taliban themselves are not abusive to women; however, society as a whole has a long history of it. She says that many people in the west are not comfortable with her staying and doing humanitarian work, however it is impossible to appreciate the situation on the ground - to try to relieve the suffering, working in some fashion with the Taliban is the only option available.
She thinks they will gradually come around to easing the restrictions on women’s education – “their idea of education” - and certain kinds of work, out of necessity. Education is already accessible online for anyone with an internet connection. For now, she would be happy to see at least the girls get back to school in person for social reasons.
Asked about how the West should respond to the Taliban, she says “recognize them” – because they are the only option for the foreseeable future.
An article written by Claire Contri who’s volunteering for Kota’s partner organization Afghan Women Scholars. Afghan Women Scholars aims to help the women and girls of Afghanistan access higher education abroad.
You can read the article here.
For further information about the situation in Afghanistan, see some more articles:
U.N. says Afghanistan is the world’s most repressive country for women
From torture to sexual assault and murder: What’s happening in the Taliban’s women’s prisons?