As we have watched the tragic events unfolding in Afghanistan over the past several months, the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice has been deeply moved and concerned by stories of the Taliban systematically undoing all the progress that was made over the past two decades on human rights – and particularly women’s and girls’ rights. We have watched these developments with a sense of true anguish and heartbreak, but we have been simultaneously inspired by the courageous individuals who have continued to fight for the rights of Afghan women, both within the country and from outside.

It seems only fitting, then, that the 2021 Lantos Human Rights Prize recognize and honor these brave women who have done so much to move human rights forward in Afghanistan and beyond. We are in the process of selecting a small group of Afghan women from different spheres of influence – from politics to law, from business to sports – to honor as our 2021 Lantos Prize awardees. By honoring them, we aim to shine a light not only on their work and achievements, but also on those of so many other Afghan women, many of whom now face a terrifying return to life under the Taliban’s oppressive rule.

At our 2021 Lantos Prize ceremony, to be held in early 2022, we will recognize the remarkable contributions of Afghan women to the struggle for human rights. We will urge the United States government and other democratic nations to help ensure the safety, wellbeing and fundamental rights of all women in Afghanistan – and to offer support and aid for women who wish to flee the country. Finally, we will honor some of the generous and courageous rescuers who have, on their own initiative, helped Afghan women who are in danger to leave the country and resettle elsewhere.

While the Taliban may make statements and gestures indicating that it has evolved on the issue of women’s rights, the devastating stories from within Afghanistan paint a dire picture and should sound the alarm for all countries that value and respect human rights. We must stand with the women of Afghanistan, and we must reaffirm that women’s rights are, indeed, human rights.

We will release the full list of 2021 Lantos Prize recipients after the New Year, and we look forward with great anticipation to honoring a group of extraordinary women early next year.