80 UN countries urge immediate end to Taliban’s gender discrimination in Afghanistan

Wednesday, 80 member countries of the United Nations expressed their concern about systematic discrimination against women by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

These countries issued a joint statement at the UN General Assembly, calling for removing restrictions on Afghan women and girls immediately.

Among the 80 countries that presented this joint statement at the UN General Assembly were European Union member states, Australia, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.

In their statement, they stated, “We demand that the Taliban immediately cancel policies, actions, orders, and other violations of women’s and girls’ human rights and freedoms in Afghanistan, which are incompatible with the principles of non-discrimination.”

The statement added, “Arbitrary decisions and rulings intensify violence, the ongoing economic crisis, and the healthcare system, depriving women and girls of access to vital services such as healthcare and maternity care.”

Since the Taliban assumed control of Afghanistan, they have implemented oppressive policies that severely curtailed women’s access to education and employment while limiting their presence in public spaces. This has led to widespread concern and condemnation from the international community.

However, rather than heeding the global outcry and calls for change, the Taliban has not only maintained these restrictions but has also escalated their harsh policies.

They have, troublingly, attempted to frame this issue as an internal matter for Afghanistan, further exacerbating the situation and raising alarm among advocates for women’s rights worldwide.

In a recent and concerning development, the Taliban has enforced a ban on women’s beauty salons, leading to the devastating consequence of over 60,000 Afghan women losing their jobs.

These countries expressed deep concern about the severe negative impacts of these restrictions on Afghan women and girls’ physical and mental health and the violation of their human rights, discrimination, oppression, and severe violence by the Taliban.

In the statement, the Taliban was urged to respect and protect human rights and the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan, referring to Afghanistan’s membership in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned of the devastating economic and social consequences of these restrictions for Afghan women and girls and the emergence of mental and psychological problems.

Source » khaama