Thread by @Bushra_Ebadi

Looking for ways to support Afghanistan and Afghan people? Here's a list of actions that you can take and avoid.

1) If you are not an expert on #Afghanistan, have not been keeping up with what has been occurring, and are not directly impacted by what is happening don't share your unsolicited opinions and takes.

2) Instead follow and amplify the voices, work, and initiatives of Afghan activists, leaders, journalists, artists, and researchers.

3) Find out if your government is deporting Afghans back to Afghanistan. Many governments around the world were deporting Afghan asylum seekers and only recently paused deportations.

4) Avoid simplistic narratives that paint the situation as an internal dispute between tribes and factions. If you're not acknowledging the historic and ongoing role of various actors, then you're contributing to misinformation.

5) The US and NATO allies benefitted from the support of local Afghans who are being targeted. Reach out to your political representatives and leaders to ensure that efforts are being made to evacuate and resettle these individuals and their families.

The closing of embassies and withdrawal of ground presence and air support will make this more difficult. So #5 is time sensitive.

6) Has your country agreed to resettle Afghan refugees? Help support resettlement efforts, not just with monetary donations but through community support. In Canada you can sign up here to volunteer/donate: canada.ca/en/immigration….

7) Advocate for trauma-informed and culturally relevant supports for Afghan refugees and asylum seekers. Historically, mental health support has been underfunded and overlooked. PTSD, intergenerational trauma are real.

8) Call for accountability and sanctions against actors who help bankroll the Taliban (and provide them with training and arms). This article gives some context: theconversation.com/the-taliban-ar….

9) Does your country sell weapons, military equipment, and surveillance tech to depots, human rights violators, oppressive regimes, and/dictators? It's likely your tax payer dollars are helping support these activities. Learn more here: amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/…

10) Fund the work of Afghan peacebuilders and activists around the world, especially youth, women, and gender and sexually diverse persons.

11) Speak out against the targeted attacks and ethnic cleansing of especially marginalized Afghan communities, including Hazara, Sikh, Hindu, and Shia Muslim people.

12) Acknowledge the disproportionate cost of conflict on Afghan people. There has been a lot of rhetoric online about the costs the US and NATO has paid for its presence in Afghanistan, as well as blame on Afghan military forces.

13) Stop legitimizing the Taliban in peace negotiations. They will not suddenly respect human rights, especially women's rights. Escalating Taliban attacks against journalists, school children, and persecuted religious and ethnic groups indicate the gravity of the situation,.

14) Displaced Afghans are being turned back at borders around the world. Support @Refugees' call to keep borders open to Afghans seeking asylum. unhcr.org/news/briefing/…

Follow: @mortazabehboudi @ShkulaZadran @ShafiqaKhplwak @menaayazi @ArtLordsNet @OmaidSharifi @LetsTalkAFG @Saadia_Sediq @fauziamazhar2 @Ayap_af @ayedicanada @Ayap_af @khalidhanasiri @DerakhshanQ @YaldaSarwar @YoonHeela @BarakPashtana @NajeebaWazefado

Please tag Afghan experts!

15) If you're an American journalist who worked with Afghans when you were reporting on the country, check out this thread 👇🏽

https://twitter.com/AzmatZahra/status/1426257274767650820?s=20

16) The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is not new but is deepening. And there are funding shortfalls. Support the work that frontline UN agencies and humanitarian organizations are doing in Afghanistan. news.un.org/en/story/2021/…

17) Amidst the escalating conflict, it is also vital that the international community mobilize to safeguard cultural heritage and sites in Afghanistan. Cultural cleansing and genocide threaten prospects for peace and contribute to the erasure of marginalized peoples.

+ The looting of cultural artifacts and moveable heritage helps fund the activities of terrorist organizations. Many cultural institutions and collectors have been complicit. Learn more here: en.unesco.org/courier/2020-4…

“Traffickers are not just robbing Afghanistan of its history. They are perpetuating a situation where peace does not manifest and the region does not stabilize. Looting Afghanistan’s past is looting Afghanistan’s future.” - @RoyaRahmani nytimes.com/2021/04/19/art…

*despots. But I guess this can also apply to depots that are helping to facilitate injustice and human rights violations. 🤷🏻‍♀️

18) Are you an academic, researcher, or think tank who tangentially works on Afghanistan? Are you being asked to comment on the situation and give your take for media or speaking engagements? Politely decline and recommend an expert, preferably Afghan.

N.B. Avoid recommending and being a problematic old white dude. This applies to everything in life, but especially in this situation.

19) Support Afghan journalists. Their work is vital but becoming increasingly difficult. Follow and amplify the work @ajsc_afg is doing to promote journalists' safety and #pressfreedom.

@pressfreedom has a list of resources for journalists in distress. bit.ly/3yX9ukW