Tag: Afghan society

UN Rights Chief To Taliban: End Disastrous Policy Towards Women

By LokMarg

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has called on the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to revoke immediately a raft of policies that target the rights of women and girls, noting both the “terrible, cascading effects” on their lives and the destabilizing risks such policies pose to Afghan society.

“No country can develop – indeed survive – socially and economically with half its population excluded. These unfathomable restrictions placed on women and girls will not only increase the suffering of all Afghans but, I fear, pose a risk beyond Afghanistan’s borders,” Turk was quoted as saying press statement by United Nations Human Rights Office.

“I urge the de facto authorities to ensure the respect and protection of the rights of all women and girls – to be seen, to be heard, and to participate in and contribute to all aspects of the social, political, and economic life of the country, in line with Afghanistan’s international obligations,” he said.

On 24 December, the de facto authorities issued a decree banning women from working in NGOs, TOLOnews reported. This came after they had already suspended university education for women and secondary schooling for girls until what they termed further notice.

“This latest decree by the de facto authorities will have terrible consequences for women and for all Afghan people,” the High Commissioner said. “Banning women from working in NGOs will deprive them and their families of their incomes, and of their right to contribute positively to the development of their country and to the well-being of their fellow citizens.”

The UN rights office said NGOs and humanitarian organizations provide critical life-saving services for many people in Afghanistan, providing food, water, shelter, and healthcare, and some critical programs, such as pre-and post-natal and infant care, are only provided by women.

Many staff working for these NGOs are female and many of the organizations have women in leadership roles. They are essential partners for the UN and other agencies in the delivery of their humanitarian and development programs throughout the country.

“The ban will significantly impair, if not destroy, the capacity of these NGOs to deliver the essential services on which so many vulnerable Afghans depend. It is all the more distressing with Afghanistan in the grip of winter, when we know humanitarian needs are at their greatest and the work these NGOs do is all the more critical,” Turk said.

The High Commissioner also voiced deep concern that increased hardship in Afghan society is likely to increase the vulnerability of women and girls to sexual and gender-based violence and domestic violence.

“Women and girls cannot be denied their inherent rights. Attempts by the de facto authorities to relegate them to silence and invisibility will not succeed – it will merely harm all Afghans, compound their suffering, and impede the country’s development. Such policies cannot be justified in any way,” Turk said. (ANI)

Read more: http://13.232.95.176/

Open Schools For Girls

Women Banned From Univs For Not Sticking To Dress Code: Taliban

By LokMarg

Taliban-appointed Education Minister in Afghanistan on Thursday said Afghan women were banned from university ‘for not following dress code’ which has sparked a global backlash.

The continuation of co-education and lack of observation of hijab by students were among the reason cited by Taliban minister Neda Mohammad Nadim for banning Afghan women from university, TOLO news reported.

“The presence of women at dormitories and their arrival from provinces without male companions, lack of observation of hijab by students, the continuation of co-education male, and the existence of some faculties for girls that are in contrast with the Islamic law and Afghan pride,” TOLO news quoted Nadim as saying in Radio Television Afghanistan (RTA).

He added that “some reforms planned by the Islamic Emirate were not implemented in the higher education sector.”

On Wednesday, the UN mission in Afghanistan shared the outrage of millions of Afghans and the international community over the decision by the Taliban to close universities to female students across the country until further notice and called on the de facto authorities to immediately revoke the decision.

In a statement, the UN mission said the UN and its humanitarian partners also urge the de facto authorities to reopen girls’ schools beyond the sixth grade and end all measures preventing women and girls from participating fully in daily public life,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said.

“Banning women from attending university is a continuation of the systematic policies of targeted discrimination put in place by the Taliban against women,” the UNAMA statement read.

Since 15 August 2021, the de facto authorities have barred girls from attending secondary school, restricted women and girls’ freedom of movement, excluded women from most areas of the workforce, and banned women from using parks, gyms, and public bathhouses. These restrictions culminate with the confinement of Afghan women and girls to the four walls of their homes.

The UN mission argued that preventing half of the population from contributing meaningfully to society and the economy will prove devastating for the whole country. “It will expose Afghanistan to further international isolation, economic hardship, and suffering, impacting millions for years to come,” the statement said.

The UN estimates that restricting women from working can result in an economic loss of up to USD 1 billion – or up to five percent of the country’s GDP. The ban of women from universities, including female teachers and professors, will contribute to additional economic losses.

The UN mission said excluding women and girls from secondary and tertiary education not only denies them this right, it denies Afghan society as a whole the benefit of the contributions that women and girls have to offer. (ANI)

Read more: http://13.232.95.176/