Women's advocates worry that any eventual peace deal with the Taliban to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan may come at the expense of gains made on women's rights in the country since 2001. And few Afghan women have had a seat at the table in ongoing negotiations to voice their concerns.

Online, those calling for the protection of Afghan women's rights are using the hashtag #AfghanWomenWillNotGoBack. They are referring to the Taliban's rule from 1996 to 2001, when women were banned from having jobs, going to school and participating in politics. Women were routinely beaten in public for disobeying Taliban law. But in this year's peace talks, Taliban representatives have said their stance on women's rights has changed.

In this episode, we'll speak to Afghan women about whether they feel their voices are being heard and why more women need to be involved in the peace process.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Ambassador Shukria Barakzai @AFGEmbassyOslo
Ambassador of Afghanistan to Norway

Wazhma Frogh @FroghWazhma
Member, Afghanistan High Peace Council
wazhmafrogh.blogspot.com

Najia Nasim @WAWHumanRights  
Executive Director, Women for Afghan Women
womenforafghanwomen.org 

Read more: 
700 Afghan women have a message: Don’t sell us out to the Taliban - The New York Times
Afghan women say no to symbolic role in peace talks - The Frontier Post
 

What do you think? Leave your thoughts below.