A German member of the European Parliament, Hannah Neuman, is visiting Kabul and has called for the reopening of girls’ schools and for the inclusion of all elements of society into the current Afghan government.
“Girls going back to school on March 23 with hopes for the future being turned down with tears in their eyes, going back home, and some of these families literally used their last penny to allow them to go to school–buy these backpacks, buy these books…” she said.
Speaking press conference on Wednesday in Kabul, Neuman expressed concerns over “enforced disappearances.”
“I heard many stories about violence, about violence against protestors, violence against journalists, about enforced disappearances,” she said.
She called for the inclusion of other social groups into the government.
“The Taliban are good fighters apparently because they managed to take over a country, but governing a country needs a rather different set of skills, it especially needs leaders that listen to the citizens that they want to represent, and, on this one, I hope to see soon some kind of dialogue between the people of Afghanistan that includes the women of Afghanistan but also the minority groups,” she said, “because that is deeply needed, otherwise frustration will pile up, violations will pile up.”
Although, the Islamic Emirate’s decision to ban girls above grade six from going to school has faced a strong reaction inside and outside Afghanistan, the schools for students in grades 7-12 are still closed after 200 days.
Meanwhile, the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed grave concerns over the closing of secondary schools for Afghan girls.
“We are deeply concerned about women and girls in Afghanistan. In addition to restrictions on movement, access to work and education, they face heightened risks to safety and well-being. Their rights must be upheld,” UNHCR tweeted.
Markus Potzel, German ambassador-designate to Afghanistan, met with Suhail Shaheen, head of the UAE’s political office in Qatar, and called for the reopening of secondary and high schools for girls.
“The Taliban represent a limited minority in Afghanistan, and it is very important that the wishes of the entire Afghan people be taken into account, not a limited minority,” said Zarqa Yaftali, a women’s rights activist.
The United States, the World Bank, the European Union and other countries have voiced strong reactions to the closing of girls’ schools in Afghanistan.—Tolonews
