The Taliban rejected the UN Security Council’s proposal on Friday to lift harsh restrictions on Afghan women, calling their worries “unfounded.” The Afghan foreign ministry described the Security Council’s concerns as “unfounded”.
The UN Security Council overwhelmingly endorsed a resolution on Tuesday criticising the Taliban for limiting girls’ and women’s access to education, government employment, and freedom of movement since gaining power last year.
Afghanistan’s supreme commander, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has also commanded women to hide their faces in public, prompting outrage worldwide.
The Security Council’s of 15 members urged the Taliban to “quickly alter the policies and practices that impede Afghan women and girls’ human rights and basic freedoms.”
In addition, it asked that the hardliners reopen all schools to female students.
Defending Afghan women’s rights, the Afghan foreign ministry described the Security Council’s concerns as “unfounded”.
“Because the Afghan people are largely Muslim, the Afghan government believes Islamic hijab to be in keeping with society’s religious and cultural norms,” the ministry said in a statement.
Rigid Regime
As devoted Muslims, Taliban fighters adhere rigidly to their interpretation of Islam.
Human rights violations plagued their last term in office, which lasted from 1996 to 2001.
They have consistently infringed on Afghan rights, promising a softer reign this time.
During the two decades of US military commitment that followed the Taliban’s overthrow in 2001, Afghan women and girls achieved only minor advances in regaining their rights.
At the end of a visit to Kabul on Thursday, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan Richard Bennett claimed the Taliban’s restrictions aimed to make women “invisible in society.”
No country has recognised the new Taliban administration, and efforts to assume Afghanistan’s seat at the UN have failed.
Read More – Following a Taliban rule for female newsreaders, male anchors wear masks on air.
