EU and 42 Countries Call for End to Repression of Women in Afghanistan
The European Union and 42 countries have issued a joint statement condemning the Taliban administration’s policies against women and girls in Afghanistan and calling for an end to gender discrimination and the systematic repression of women.
The statement, drafted at France’s initiative, was presented on Wednesday, 25 September, alongside a UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan. The signatories said the Taliban administration must lift all restrictions imposed on the rights of women and girls and end human rights violations.
In the statement, the signatory countries expressed their “full solidarity” with the women and girls of Afghanistan and said they strongly condemn the persistent, systematic gender discrimination and repression carried out by the Taliban administration. They also called for an end to gender segregation policies.
The position came as the UN Security Council’s meeting on Afghanistan was held yesterday, with the human rights situation, especially the situation of women, among the main topics of discussion. Terrorist threats emanating from Afghan territory and the situation of Hazaras and Shiites as communities under threat and repression were also among the other issues raised at the meeting.
Representatives of several countries at the meeting also described the Taliban administration’s policies against women as gender discrimination and stressed the need to end this process. Nargis Nehan, Afghanistan’s former minister of mines and petroleum, also said these policies amount to “gender apartheid” and that the international community must take practical action to stop it.
The UN Security Council is one of the main decision-making bodies of the United Nations, and its meetings on Afghanistan usually focus on the country’s human rights situation, security, and political developments.
