international
The UN notes a “huge setback” in the rights of women in Afghanistan
January 21, 2023175
Photo AFP / Telam
The UN confirmed the “enormous setback” of women’s rights in Afghanistan since the Taliban came to power a year and a half ago, with the reimposition of old prohibitions such as the possibility of studying, working in the public sector and visiting parks. and public toilets, it was officially reported today.
The Taliban seized power in August 2021, promising a softer version of their previous government (1996-2001).
But since then they have been hampering their chances in almost all spheres of public life, destining them to be handed over by their families to arranged marriages, given the impossibility of attending secondary school or higher education.
“It is very clear that what we have seen in terms of basic rights for women and girls is a huge step backwards,” Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary General, said last night.
“It is not enough to take a couple of steps forward,” he added, quoted by the AFP news agency.
The UN delegation, which included Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed and Sima Bahous, Executive Secretary of UN Women, which arrived on Monday, met with Taliban officials during a four-day visit to Kabul and Kandahar.
In late December, Afghanistan’s hardline Islamist rulers banned women from working for non-governmental organizations, prompting several NGOs to suspend their activities in the country.
Others, however, were able to partially resume their activity after receiving guarantees from the authorities that the women could continue working in the health sector.
Although there have been recent exemptions for humanitarian organizations to “continue – and in some cases resume – their operations”, these “remain limited to a few sectors and activities,” a UN statement said.
“While we acknowledge the significant exemptions made, these restrictions present Afghan women and girls with a future that confines them to their own homes, violating their rights and depriving communities of their services,” Mohammed said in her statement.
The delegation also met with various key actors from civil society and humanitarian organizations.
The visit to Afghanistan followed a series of high-level consultations in various countries in the region and in the Gulf, Asia and Europe. During these meetings, it was agreed in principle to organize an international conference on women and girls in the Muslim world. in March 2023, the UN said. telam
