“The Plight of Women and Minorities Under Authoritarian Regimes” was the 2023 New University in Exile Consortium Spring Scholars Conference. During two panels, Consortium scholars spoke on issues concerning the treatment of minorities and women with an emphasis on the treatment of women in Afghanistan, as well as about political protest, freedom of speech, access to higher education, and questions of foreign engagement. U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls, and Human Rights, Rina Amiri, delivered the keynote address.
During the first panel, “The Treatment of Minorities Under Authoritarian Regimes,” speakers discussed complex issues including the intersection of theocracy and authoritarianism in Iran, the usefulness of the term “minority” in Syria, repression of activists in Russia, and the rise of authoritarianism in Poland.
In the second panel, “The State of Women in Afghanistan Today,” five panelists from Afghanistan shared their unique perspectives and spoke about the importance of sustained attention and support to the plight of women in Afghanistan. They called on the free press and western media to continue and increase their coverage of the atrocities committed again women and girls in Afghanistan.
During the Keynote Presentation, Special Envoy Amiri addressed the pressing need for international aid and cooperation in order to mitigate the human rights abuses and subsequent economic deprivation being wrought by the Taliban. She also emphasized the need for the international community to listen to and organize their aid efforts based on the experiences and testimonies of the Afghan people.
The full program of events and speaker biographies are available below:
Originally convened April 17, 2023 from 1:00 – 5:45 PM CEDT at Université Paris 8 in Saint-Denis, France.