Women This Week: President Salome Zourabichvili Leads Protest Against Pro-Russia Ruling Party 

Calls for Investigation into “Russian Special Operation” 

This week, Georgia’s President, Salome Zourabichvili, led tens of thousands of protestors in the capital city of Tbilisi. Zourabichvili and her fellow protestors believe that Georgian Dream—which currently holds the majority in parliament—falsely claimed victory in recent elections held on October 26. Georgian Dream—a Russian-backed party led by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili—claimed victory with nearly 54 percent of the vote despite opposition polls showing numbers well below 50 percent. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and national leaders subsequently called for the Central Election Commission of Georgia to “fulfill their duty to swiftly, transparently, and independently investigate and adjudicate electoral irregularities and allegations thereof.” Zourabichvili has been at the forefront of efforts to resist Georgian Dream’s clamp down on democracy and rights. Ivanishvili has vowed to create one-party rule, calling the opposition “enemies of the country” and a “cancer” and leading efforts to restrict civil society organizations. The election marks a pivotal moment in the years-long struggle between the 89 percent majority of Georgians who want to join the European Union (EU) and those who seek to move closer to Putin’s Russia, which has occupied two Georgian territories, South Ossetia and Abkhazia since 2008. Zourabichvili also opposed an anti-LGBT+ bill passed by the parliament last month; both of the laws promoted a warning from the EU that rights-restricting legislation would derail the country’s bid for EU membership, as contrary to the democratic norms laid out by the body.  

Taliban Seeks to Stop Women From Hearing Other Women’s Voices 

In its latest edict targeting women’s behavior, the Taliban appears to be trying to ban women from hearing other women’s voices. In a voice recording published and later deleted, the minister for the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice, Khalid Hanafi, said: “Even when an adult female prays and another female passes by, she must not pray loudly enough for them to hear.” According to the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic law, a woman’s voice is considered awrah and should, therefore, be covered, in addition to her entire body. Women in Afghanistan remain severely restricted in their public and private lives and have most recently been banned from speaking loudly inside their homes to prevent their voices from being heard outside. “I feel depressed. The world is advancing in technology and having fun with their lives, but here we cannot even hear each other’s voices,” a former civil servant in Kabul told The Telegraph. 

United Nations Announces Effort to Strengthen Role of Women in Peace Efforts  

This week, the United Nations Security Council announced a new initiative called the “Common Pledge” to strengthen and enforce women’s equal participation in peace processes. The pledge, which came as the Council began debate on women, peace and security issues, will include measures to ensure that women are appointed as lead mediators in peace processes and that local women leaders and members of civil society be consulted as part of any efforts. The initiative also seeks to ensure that peace agreements include a gender-responsive approach and that warring parties be encouraged to include and advance women’s meaningful participation. UN deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed emphasized, “it is imperative that we reinforce our resolve to support women advocating for their rights, agency and inclusion at every opportunity.” The role of women in peace processes globally remains abysmal, with the majority of peace processes including no women in leadership roles or as signatories.