[ad_1]
BERLIN, Dec. 28 (AP) — The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday condemned growing restrictions on women’s rights in Afghanistan, urging the country’s Taliban rulers to roll back them immediately.
In a press statement, the council said it “reaffirmed its deep concern over the closure of schools beyond grade six and called for the full, equal and meaningful participation of Afghan women and girls.”
Read also | US winter storm: Death toll rises to 57 as massive freeze grips US.
Volcker, the UN high commissioner for human rights, said the decision to ban women from working for NGOs would have “dire consequences”.
Last week, Taliban authorities halted university education for women, sparking international outrage and demonstrations in Afghan cities. On Saturday, they announced the exclusion of women from NGO work, a move that has prompted four major international aid agencies to suspend operations in Afghanistan.
Read also | COVID-19 surge: US intelligence report reveals China’s bioweapons ambitions.
“It is impossible for any country to develop socially and economically – indeed survive – with half its population excluded,” Volker Turck, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement in Geneva. “These unfathomable restrictions on women and girls will not only increase the suffering of all Afghans, but I fear also pose a risk outside of Afghanistan.”
“This latest decree by the de facto authorities will have dire consequences for women and all Afghan people,” Turk said, adding that banning women from working for NGOs would deprive them and their families of income and “positive contributions.” rights to the development of the country.
“This ban will severely cripple, if not destroy, the ability of these NGOs to provide the basic services that many vulnerable Afghans depend on,” he said.
The Taliban have broadly implemented their strict interpretation of Sharia law, or Sharia law, despite initially promising softer rules respecting the rights of women and minorities when they took power last year.
They banned girls from middle and high schools, restricted women from most jobs, and ordered them to wear head-to-toe clothing in public. Women are also banned from parks and gyms.
“Women and girls cannot be deprived of their inherent rights,” Turk said. “Attempts by the de facto authorities to keep them silent and invisible will not succeed — it will only hurt all Afghans, exacerbate their suffering, and hinder the country’s development.” (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
[ad_2]
Source link