UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a press conference that the situation of the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan will be an issue that “will be very much on the agenda” of the seventy-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly meeting.
World leaders will address the United Nations General Assembly on September 18 and 19 in New York.
“The rights of women and girls in Afghanistan is absolutely central to all concerns and will be one of the issues that will be very much in the agenda,” Guterres noted.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate said that women’s rights are ensured in Afghanistan within the framework of Islamic principles.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, asked the world to respect Islamic values in Afghanistan and to not interfere in the country’s internal affairs.
“The issue of human rights is an excuse that is used. In reality, the people of Afghanistan have rights given to them by Sharia law. Nobody can show that someone else’s rights have been violated. All individuals have rights, including men, women, children, and the elderly,” said Mujahid.
According to some university lecturers, participation of all the citizens, including women, in the political sphere is important.
“It is the responsibility of the government to provide facilities for the people, provide services.
We are like the two wings of a bird in the society, and our sisters are the one wing. If we want to have a developed society, we should provide the rights of work, education and political participation,” said Zaki Mohammadi, a political analyst.
Previously, the UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, at the UN Human Rights Council called on the “Taliban to reverse their draconian, misogynist policies and allow women to work and run businesses, including delivering essential services through NGOs and the UN.”
Speaking at the 54th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council, Bennett said 60,000 women have lost their jobs due to recent restrictions of the interim Afghan government.
“Recently the Taliban has restricted women’s activities even more. Beauty salons have been prohibited, eliminating approximately 60,000 jobs, depriving them of one of few remaining women’s only safe spaces,” he said. Upholding women’s rights in Afghanistan is one of the world’s demands for the recognition of the Islamic Emirate.
