Remove restrictions on women and girls in Afghan: UN

Representatives from several countries at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) criticized the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and asked the Taliban administration to remove the gender-based restrictions on women and girls, Khaama Press reported. While reviewing the report of Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, the council members called the Taliban’s de facto authorities to respect and protect the rights of all people of Afghanistan, including, women, girls, religious minorities and political groups. Envoys from different countries spoke about the critical humanitarian situation in Afghanistan during Monday’s assembly. They particularly focused on bans restricting women and girls from accessing education, work and social engagement, as per Khaama Press. They demanded that the 9international community should closely monitor human rights violations in Afghanistan and pressurize the Taliban to alter their conduct. Rina Amiri, the US Special Envoy for Afghan Women, Girls and Human Rights called the women’s rights issues in Afghanistan a strategic priority of the United States. “The US condemns the Taliban’s systematic discrimination against women and girls and stands with the people of Afghanistan to fight for human rights and dignity,” she said. Amiri warned that women’s rights will be endangered everywhere else if the international community does not take action against women’s rights violations in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the French envoy at the meeting said that the Taliban have imprisoned women and girls in houses and darkness. “According to Richard Bennett’s report, such restrictions are not seen anywhere else and the repressive policies the Taliban have launched in Afghanistan are considered a “war crime”, he added.