On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council condemned the growing limitations on women’s rights in Afghanistan and urged the Taliban government to end them right once.
In a news release, the Security Council stated that it “reiterated its serious concern regarding the suspension of schools beyond the sixth grade, and its appeal for the full, equal, and meaningful involvement of women and girls in Afghanistan.”
Volker Türk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, warned that excluding women from working for non-governmental organisations would have “serious implications.”
Last week, the Taliban banned women from attending universities, which sparked protests in Afghan cities and international criticism. They made the announcement on Saturday, which has already led four significant international assistance organisations to halt their activity in Afghanistan.
No nation can grow economically or socially if more than half of its people are excluded from it, “In a Geneva-issued statement, Mr. Türk added. “In addition to making all Afghans suffer more, these incomprehensible limitations on women and girls, in his opinion, pose a threat outside of Afghanistan’s borders.
According to Mr. Türk, banning women from working for NGOs will rob them and their families of income and the ability to “contribute positively” to the country’s development. “This latest decree by the de facto authorities will have terrible consequences for women and for all Afghan people,” he added.
According to him, the restriction will severely limit, if not completely eliminate, these NGOs’ ability to provide the crucial services that so many Afghans in need depend on.
When the Taliban seized control last year, they first pledged a more moderate system that would protect the rights of minorities and women, but they have since broadly enacted their rigid version of Islamic law, known as Sharia.
They have forbidden girls from attending middle and high school, barred them from the majority of jobs, and required them to dress completely in public. Parks and gyms also forbid women’s entry.
Mr. Türk stated that “women and girls cannot be denied their inherent rights.” The de facto authorities’ attempts to suppress and obscure them won’t succeed; instead, they’ll hurt all Afghans, increase their misery, and hamper the nation’s progress.
