Protesting women: The day of Abedeh's death should be named as "International Day of Protest Against Forced Marriage"

Jumhuri Mudara:The Shanbehai Arghawani movement has called for April 27 to be designated as the "International Day of Protest against Forced Marriage and to Honor its Victims" in the United Nations global calendar.

This women's protest movement has made this demand  in a statement published today (Sunday, May 4).

The request follows the  painful self-immolation and protest of Abida, a young girl in Ghor province who ended her life in protest against a forced marriage to a member of the Taliban.

The movement's statement said that Abeda's bitter but courageous action is a symbol of Afghan women's resistance to the ruling misogynistic system and the structural violence caused by forced marriages.

The  Shanbehai Arghawani Movement has called Abeda's move for self-improvement not only a cry against gender apartheid in Afghanistan, but also a reflection of the suffering of hundreds of women victims around the world who are silently victims of injustice.

One week after the incident, the Shanbehai Arghawani Movement has condemned the silence of the United Nations, UNAMA and other international organizations, stressing that the failure to respond to such crimes means  the repetition of similar incidents and the deepening of the women's rights crisis in Afghanistan.

The movement called on all human rights organizations, civil society activists, and international organizations to launch extensive campaigns to declare their support for this demand and pave the way for the recognition of this international day.