KABUL: A number of Afghan women and girls are looking forward to the upcoming United Nations Human Rights Council meeting, where the human rights situation in Afghanistan will be discussed. They seek not just dialogue but actionable decisions that lead to tangible outcomes.
The 59th session of the UN Human Rights Council is scheduled to begin on June 16 and will continue until July 11, during which the human rights situation in Afghanistan will be a key topic.
According to the agenda published by the council, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, will present his report.
Afghan women and girls express hope that discussions in such international forums will prevent the global community from forgetting their plight.
They have consistently urged the international community and the UN to take practical measures to restore their fundamental rights and to pressure the Taliban to cease human rights violations.
In his report, which was published on June 12 and is expected to be presented at the council, Richard Bennett noted that the Taliban have systematically deprived women and girls of their basic rights, including freedom of movement, education, work, access to healthcare, and freedom of expression. This systemic deprivation has established a fundamental discriminatory regime that constitutes crimes against humanity and gender-based persecution.
Since the Taliban regained power, women and girls have been deprived of education beyond the sixth grade and have been excluded from many government and non-governmental positions. The Taliban claim that women’s rights are safeguarded within the framework of Islamic law, a claim that has not been accepted by many Afghans and the international community.
