KABUL, MAR 9: In response to global concerns over the violation of women’s rights, the Islamic Emirate said that human rights organizations are pursuing intelligence objectives under the guise of human rights in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, pledged that women’s rights in Afghanistan are secure and that international organizations should not be concerned.
According to Mujahid, efforts are being made to resolve any existing issues soon.
“Various intelligence agencies should not worry about the rights situation in Afghanistan; rest assured that the government is committed to its obligations towards the people and ensures the fulfillment of their rights,” he told to TOLOnews.
Previously, the United Nations Secretary-General, the United States, Amnesty International, and eight other entities called on the Islamic Emirate, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, to lift the bans against women and girls as soon as possible.
“A global backlash against women’s rights is threatening, and in some cases reversing, progress in developing and developed countries alike. The most egregious example is Afghanistan, where women and girls have been barred from much of the education system, from employment outside the home, and from most public spaces,” Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, said.
Amnesty International and eight other bodies in a joint statement called on the international community to significantly increase their support for women in Afghanistan.
“On International Women’s Day, we, the undersigned organisations, urgently appeal to the international community to significantly bolster its support and actively safeguard the human rights of Afghan women and girls, including Afghan women human rights defenders who face persecution for their peaceful campaigns for rights and basic freedoms,” the joint statement reads.
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, US representatives for Afghanistan expressed their concerns over the violation of women’s rights in the country. Thomas West and Rina Amiri stated that if the world does not support women in Afghanistan, it will affect women’s rights globally.
The US special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West said on X: “Today, International Women’s Day, we honor the tireless work & courage of Afghan women & girls to secure their rights – to be educated at all levels, to work & support their families, & to participate in public life. These are matters of stability for Afghanistan & the region.”
US special envoy for Afghan human rights and women, Rina Amiri, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, on X said: “On International Women’s Day 2024, we honor the extraordinary courage of Afghan women & girls as they defend their rights against the Taliban’s extreme, systemic & relentless edicts. If the world doesn’t stand up in support of Afghan women, we put in peril women’s rights everywhere.”
The Chargé d’Affaires of the Afghanistan Permanent Mission to the UN, Naseer Ahmad Faiq, criticized the restrictions against women and girls in the country, stating that since the Islamic Emirate’s return to power, women have been deprived of their fundamental rights and face systematic discrimination.
“For more than two and a half years, Afghan women have been deprived of all their Islamic and human rights, including the right to work and education, and due to the Taliban’s misguided and extremist policies, they have been systematically eliminated from all social, economic, and political spheres,” Faiq said on X.
“The Islamic Emirate should come to an agreement with the international community so that the restrictions imposed on women can be lifted,” Laila, a student told TOLOnews.
“The conditions of the world are not against Sharia, and they want you [Islamic Emirate] to grant our sisters the right to education, they want you to give our sisters the right to work within the framework of Islamic Sharia,” Zakiullah Mohammadi, a university lecturer, told TOLOnews.
On Friday several UN entities, including the UN Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), United Nations Women, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, called on the Islamic Emirate to lift the current bans against women.
