Geneva: The United Nations has warned that the Taliban’s treatment of women falls under the category of gender inequality.
According to the international news agency, the plight of women and girls in Afghanistan was prominently presented at the meeting of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Speakers also accused the Taliban government of committing systematic “gender oppression”.
The UN Special Representative for Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, told the Council that the Taliban regime is based on serious, systematic and institutionalized discrimination against women and girls.
According to the UN Council, the Taliban’s style of governance has also raised concerns that they may be guilty of gender discrimination.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, also expressed concerns that the Taliban regime in Afghanistan has abolished the most basic principles of human rights, especially for women and girls.
In a joint report to the council, UN rights experts Bennett and Dorothy Estrada Tank said the plight of Afghan women is among the worst in the world. The report urged the international community and the United Nations to pay more attention to the issue and take steps to bring relief to Afghan women.
UN human rights experts have also warned the Taliban that their treatment of women is based on ‘gender discrimination’.
Along with this, the Pakistani delegate also requested the international community to consider the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Although the human rights situation in Afghanistan is a cause for concern, its citizens also find themselves caught up in a humanitarian crisis that requires global attention.
The Pakistani delegate added that 97 percent of Afghans live in extreme poverty and more than 20 million face acute hunger. Sadly, we are seeing a decline in humanitarian aid.
He further said that only Pakistan is the only country that has highlighted the issue of humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan while all other countries including major powers have focused only on the plight of Afghan women.
It should be noted that after the Taliban took over the government in August 2021, women’s jobs and girls’ education have been banned, while female employees of NGOs working in the country have also been banned.
