MEA voices concern about women’s rights in Afghanistan amid Taliban crackdown
1 min read . Updated: 22 Dec 2022, 09:33 PM IST
Premium- The statement of concern comes just days after the Taliban announced that women in Afghanistan would be barred from studying at universities
Noting recent reports on crackdown of women’s rights in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the Ministry of External Affairs voiced its concerns over the developments in the troubled state.
“We have noted with concern the reports in this regard. India has consistently supported the cause of women’s education in Afghanistan. We have been emphasising the importance of the establishment of an inclusive and representative government that ensures equal rights of women and girls to participate in all aspects of society, including access to higher education," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.
“I would also like to recall the UN Security Council Resolution 2593, which reaffirms the importance of upholding human rights, including those of woman, and securing equal and meaningful participation of women," Bagchi went on to add.
This statement of concern comes just days after the Taliban announced that women in Afghanistan would be barred from studying at universities. The move was condemned internationally as regressive. Western nations had made women’s rights a key requirement to recognising the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan.
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the Taliban’s indefensible decision to ban women from universities, keep secondary schools closed to girls, and continue to impose other restrictions on the ability of women and girls in Afghanistan to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms," said US secretary of State Anthony Blinken in a press statement.
Despite promising a lighter touch than its previous rule over the country in the 1990s, the Taliban has restricted freedom of movement for women as well as access to education at the secondary school level. Parks, gyms and public baths are now off-limits for women, who travel between cities without a male escort. Women have also been publicly flogged in the country and public executions have returned.
Protests by women’s groups have been disrupted quickly with harsh crackdowns and beatings of protestors by government forces.
