EU, US ‘deeply worried’ about Afghan women, girls

Published August 19, 2021
Internally displaced Afghan women, who fled from the northern province due to battles between the Taliban and Afghan security forces, gather to receive free food being distributed at Shahr-e-Naw Park in Kabul on August 13. — AFP/File
Internally displaced Afghan women, who fled from the northern province due to battles between the Taliban and Afghan security forces, gather to receive free food being distributed at Shahr-e-Naw Park in Kabul on August 13. — AFP/File

BRUSSELS: The European Union, the United States and 19 other countries issued on Wednesday a joint statement saying they were “deeply worried about Afghan women and girls”, urging the Taliban to ensure their safety.

The statement was released as concerns soared about the Taliban’s return to power after their 1996-2001 rule that prevented Afghan women from working or studying, or travelling without a male “guardian”.

“We are deeply worried about Afghan women and girls, their rights to education, work and freedom of movement,” the joint statement said.

“We call on those in positions of power and authority across Afghanistan to guarantee their protection. Afghan women and girls, as all Afghan people, deserve to live in safety, security and dignity. We in the international community stand ready to assist them with humanitarian aid and support, to ensure that their voices can be heard,” it added.

The EU’s European Commission’s initial statement showed the list of signatories alongside it and the US as: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, North Macedonia, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Senegal and Switzerland. It later updated its online version of the statement to add Britain.

The signatories said they would closely watch to see how “any future government ensures rights and freedoms that have become an integral part of the life of women and girls in Afghanistan during the last 20 years”.

The statement came as Western countries conducted evacuation flights out of Kabul for their nationals and for Afghans who helped them during the last two decades.

Since seizing power on the weekend in a lightning advance that took the US and its allies by surprise, the Taliban say they will behave differently this time around, and have pledged to respect women’s rights “in accordance with the principles of Islam”.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2021

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.