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As many as 11 countries have put pressure on the Taliban government for violating women's rights in Afghanistan during the United Nations (UN) meeting, reported Khaama Press.
Countries including the United States, France, Britain, Japan, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Ecuador, Albania, and Malta, referred the treatment of Afghan women and girls by the Taliban government as "gender-based violence", according to a joint statement. The Womens Rights Council representative further called for global support to define gender apartheid in international law. The statement also stated that systematic violations of women's rights have taken away their freedom and forced gender segragtaion, constituting instances of gender-based violence, Khaama Press reported. Moreover, these 11 countries called on the Taliban to revoke all restrictive policies on womens;' education and work. Representatives from these countries and the UN are pressing the Kabul administration to recognize gender apartheid in Afghanistan officially, as women in Afghanistan have been engaging in protests, including hunger strikes. Afghanistan is also a member of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Sima Bahous, the Executive Director of the UN Womens Division, during the meeting said, "Systematic and organized attacks on women by the Taliban create a pattern, and international law should define it as gender apartheid." Moreover, women's rights have predominantly been an agenda in United Nations' discussions. These reactions and statements came after the Taliban issued over 50 decrees on the lives of Afghan women and girls in the past two years. However, the Taliban officials responded to the meeting and said that women's education and employment are minor and internal matters, deflecting the focus of the meeting, Khaama Press reported. The Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Razia Othmanbayeva, presented her quarterly report in the meeting. She noted that the Taliban administration continues to violate human rights, especially womens rights, and further expressed that she is affected by these policies. Meanwhile, a former UN rapporteur Karima Bennoune urged the international community to hold the Taliban accountable for the international community to hold the current regime of the Taliban accountable for implementing gender apartheid in Afghanistan, reported Khaama Press. Earlier on Wednesday, Indias permanent representative to the United Nations, Ruchira Kamboj had reiterated the countrys steadfast dedication to peace, stability and humanitarian support for Afghanistan. Indias permanent representative to the UN also underscored Indias commitment to helping Afghan people through educational scholarships and collaborations with UN agencies. The Taliban regime imposed increasingly draconian restrictions on women's rights, stifled media freedom, and curtailed freedom of expression. Institutions dedicated to safeguarding human rights were either severely restricted or completely shuttered. Women's rights suffered relentless attacks, severely limiting their participation in public life. Shockingly, Afghanistan stood alone as the only country where girls were forbidden from attending secondary school. However, the Taliban believes that womens rights are preserved within the confines of Islamic law, according to Khaama Press. (ANI)
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