Words by Smiley Team
A British barrister has single-handedly launched a scheme to rescue more than 100 female Afghan judges and their families, and now she needs the public’s help.
In mid-August, the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan, barring women from working, blocking girls from going to school, and forbidding women from leaving the house unless chaperoned by a male relative.
Baroness Helena Kennedy has raised more than £1 million in collaboration with a team of pro bono lawyers, to charter planes, organise airlifts from Kabul, and ferry hundreds of people to Athens where they are now staying in hotels. She even bought half a sheep for the wedding of a Taliban commander’s daughter, to get people without passports through a checkpoint.
Now, she has set up a public fundraising page, to raise enough money to help even more women at risk.
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Writing on the GoFundMe page, Baroness Kennedy said: “I am working with a large team of pro-bono lawyers in the United Kingdom and across the world to save the brave female judges, lawyers, women's rights activists, and human rights defenders.
“They are in immense danger and need help immediately. Please support us so we can provide practical assistance. All money raised will help provide food and shelter, transportation, visa costs, and resettlement assistance for these women and their families.
“Please give what you can to help these brave women and their families who are in desperate need of relocation. No amount is too small, and all will be very gratefully received.”
She went on to say: “Over the last two months, we have been providing women at risk with safe housing in Afghanistan, working on their safe transport in the country, and evacuation to a safe country.
“Between 30 September and 24 October, we managed to evacuate 103 women at risk, and their families, close to 500 people in total, to Greece. Among the women at risk are high profile female judges, lawyers, prosecutors, journalists, and other human rights defenders, who faced severe threats in Afghanistan because of their work.
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“Many of them have a final destination and we assist with their onward travel. Women at risk without a final destination have a temporary visa in Greece, and we continue working on securing a final destination for them. We continue supporting them throughout the process. We hope to continue this work and have further evacuation efforts.”
So far, more than £127,00 has been raised, out of the £200,000 target.
Commenting on the fundraising page, one person wrote: “I was lucky enough to meet and photograph Baroness Helena Kennedy a few years back on assignment, and she treated me with the utmost kindness, so I’m always happy to help. It was the writer Jan Morris who said: "It won't be love that changes the world, it will be kindness....”
You can make a donation to the fundraiser and support Helena's work here.
