Published: Less than 1 hour ago
The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution calling on Afghanistan’s Taliban regime to quickly lift its increasingly harsh bans and restrictions on women and girls.
The United States, Russia and China joined behind the resolution, which expresses “deep concern over the Taliban’s increasing erosion of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for women and girls in Afghanistan.”
The resolution calls on the Taliban to quickly restore women’s and girls’ access to education, employment, freedom of movement and equal participation in public life.
Unmatched
The Security Council also condemns the Taliban’s ban on women working for the UN, a ban which, according to the resolution, is unprecedented in the history of the UN.
UAE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said more than 90 countries from around the world support the resolution, including many Muslim countries, several of which are from Afghanistan’s immediate neighbourhood.
– Which makes our basic message today even more significant. The world will not sit quietly when women in Afghanistan are erased from society, she says.
Can’t go to school
Under Taliban rule, girls have been suspended from school after the sixth grade and women are not allowed to travel or visit public places without the company of a man.
In late December last year, the Taliban banned national and international aid groups from hiring Afghan women. On April 4, they extended the ban to Afghan women working for the United Nations.
The UN has warned that the ban could block the desperate need for aid deliveries to the population of the country.
Facts
The Taliban and women
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban will regain power in Afghanistan. At first, they claim to respect people’s rights and freedoms and distance themselves from the brutal regime that prevailed in 1996–2001. Girls will be allowed to go to school and women to work as soon as a “safe environment” has been arranged, the Taliban promise.
But on September 8, Taliban spokesman Ahmadullah Wasiq declares that women’s sports are not permitted according to Islam.
And on September 28, the Taliban announced that female students and teachers may no longer work at Kabul University.
On March 28, 2022, the Taliban orders airlines in the country to deny women passengers unless they are escorted by a male relative.
On November 10, women are prohibited from visiting public parks and amusement grounds. A few days later, the ban is extended to gyms and bathhouses.
On December 24, the Taliban regime stops NGOs from having female employees, with some exceptions.
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