The ruling Taliban in Afghanistan are urged to stop the restrictive practices that are said to make women and girls “invisible” in society by the United Nations Human Rights Council, which endorsed a resolution denouncing rights breaches against women and girls in Afghanistan on Friday.
As international soldiers supporting a pro-Western administration withdrew last August, the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan for a second time.
Despite prior Taliban promises to the contrary, critics claim that increasing restrictions on women’s clothing, movement, and education have damaged their rights.
The European Union, which tabled the resolution, was represented by the ambassador of the Czech Republic, Václav Bálek. He stated that since August 2021, “the human rights situation in Afghanistan has drastically deteriorated, notably for women and girls.”
Although the council’s decisions are not legally enforceable, they have political sway and may trigger official inquiries.
The resolution from Friday, which had the support of many nations, was adopted without a vote, despite China’s mission distancing itself from the decision and labeling it “not balanced.” It is one of the 11 resolution drafts being discussed on Friday.
The former Afghan government’s chosen envoy to Afghanistan, Mohibullah Taib, was one of its supporters and claimed the new restrictions amounted to “gender apartheid.”
Envoys from governments that are no longer in power occasionally have the option to continue speaking before U.N. organizations until a credentials committee in New York rules differently.
Michèle Taylor, the U.S. ambassador to the council, expressed alarm over recent actions as well. She specifically mentioned a new policy that penalizes male family members who do not enforce limitations and that it was fostering a climate of “continuous fear.”
The resolution calls for a discussion at the upcoming council session in September or October, in which Afghan women’s rights advocates will have the opportunity to take part.
The Taliban were unlikely to alter their behavior in response to the censure, but Marc Limon of the Universal Rights Group think tank claimed the U.N. would have leverage if it connected women’s rights to future foreign aid.
