By Danielle Kutchel
Casey’s Bakhtar Cultural Association will lead Australia in a protest to draw attention to the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
The organisation is calling for urgent action to help friends and family stranded in the country to get to safety.
On Saturday 28 August at 12pm, the Bakhtar Cultural Association on behalf of the Afghan community in Australia will lead a virtual protest via Zoom and social media to represent the voices of the families, women, and children in Afghanistan.
This is an international event, and the organisation will be joining over 60 cities around the world to represent voices of young and old, that cannot be heard.
The Taliban’s swift takeover of the country has left thousands of families displaced and distressed, the organisation said in a statement.
These families are without basic supplies and are desperate to flee the brutal regime, with the future of women and girls of particular concern.
“The situation is not only dire, but extremely urgent. A deadline is looming for the US and coalition forces to leave the country by August 31,” the statement read.
The purpose of the protest will be to lobby the Federal Government to increase Australia’s refugee intake above the existing number of 3000, end temporary visas, ensure respect for human rights by continuously monitoring human rights violations under the Taliban rule and maintain humanitarian aid for the Afghans.
A number of hashtags will also be used to spread the protest’s message: #SaveAfghanWomen, #SaveAfghanistan, #FreeAfghanistan, and #EndTemporaryVisas.
To join the protest, find Bakhtar Cultural Association on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Bakhtar.Cultural.Association
