UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has emphasized the critical importance of addressing the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
During a press conference, he stated that this issue would prominently feature on the agenda of the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly meeting, set to take place on September 18 and 19 in New York.
Guterres stressed that the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan are of utmost concern and should be a focal point of international discussions. This announcement comes amid ongoing global attention on the situation in Afghanistan following the change in government and the Taliban’s return to power.
In response, the Islamic Emirate, which now governs Afghanistan, asserted that women’s rights would be upheld within the framework of Islamic principles. Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, called upon the international community to respect Afghanistan’s Islamic values and refrain from interfering in the country’s internal affairs.
Mujahid argued that the issue of human rights was often used as a pretext, and he highlighted that Afghan citizens’ rights were protected by Sharia law. He claimed that there was no evidence of rights violations and reiterated that all individuals, including men, women, children, and the elderly, possessed rights under Islamic law.
Nevertheless, some experts and university lecturers have underlined the importance of ensuring the participation of all citizens, including women, in the political sphere. Zaki Mohammadi, a political analyst, stressed the government’s responsibility to provide facilities and services to the people. He likened society to a bird with two wings, with women being one of those wings. Mohammadi emphasized that for society to develop, it was crucial to guarantee women’s rights in terms of employment, education, and political participation.
Earlier, the UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, had called on the Taliban to reverse what he described as draconian and misogynistic policies. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council’s 54th Regular Session, Bennett urged the Taliban to allow women to work, run businesses, and participate in delivering essential services through non-governmental organizations and the United Nations. He noted that recent restrictions imposed by the interim Afghan government had resulted in the loss of jobs for around 60,000 women, further limiting their access to safe spaces, as beauty salons had been prohibited.
