UN Security Council calls on Taliban to end repression against women
Eleven UN Security Council members on Friday called on the Taliban to lift “all repressive measures” against women in Afghanistan, on the sidelines of a closed-door meeting on the situation.
“We call on the Taliban to repeal all repressive measures against women and girls,” said Japanese Ambassador Ishikani Kimihiro on behalf of the 11-member body (Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States).
They call on the Taliban to “respect the rights of women and girls and their full, equal and meaningful participation and inclusion in all spheres of society, from politics and the economy to education and the public sphere.”
In particular, the declaration refers to the exclusion of women and girls from schools and universities, and bans on the employment of women by local and international NGOs, according to AFP.
Because of this latest measure, “NGOs will not be able to reach people, especially women and girls, who are in dire need of vital supplies and services,” the declaration said.
“The situation of women and girls in Afghanistan must remain at the top of the Security Council’s agenda,” they said.
On 24 December, several humanitarian organizations decided to suspend their activities; “Because of this ban, the Taliban government has decided to continue its operations.”
On December 21st, a new Taliban decree was issued banning female students from attending public and private universities, while many female students had exams that day, but the decision prevented them from entering universities. Hundreds of Taliban stood at the gates of universities to prevent girls from entering the campus, were not even allowed to take the exam of that day. Some of them were also beaten, which infuriated Afghans in general, as well as those close to the Taliban, and some leaders of the movement itself were displeased.
