43 Countries Urge Taliban to Immediately Lift All Restrictions on the Rights of Women and Girls in Afghanistan
Jérôme Bonnafont, France’s representative to the United Nations, said on behalf of the signatory countries on Wednesday, September 16, that the Taliban have implemented a policy of gender segregation since August 2021 and severely restricted women’s and girls’ access to education, healthcare services and employment.
The countries said that women who defy the Taliban’s restrictions, or are perceived to have defied them, face arbitrary detention and imprisonment.
They added that women’s rights advocates and critics of the Taliban government also face detention and retaliatory measures.
The signatory countries called on the Taliban to end human rights violations and lift the restrictions imposed on women and girls in all areas.
Following their return to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed widespread restrictions on the education, employment, movement and participation of women and girls in public life.
Girls have been barred from secondary education, while women have been deprived of university education and many employment opportunities.
Restrictions have also been imposed on women’s movement without a male guardian and their presence in public spaces.
