Kabul: A number of human rights activists in Turkey called on the international community to pay attention to women's rights, particularly girls' access to education, in Afghanistan.
At a gathering in Istanbul, Asifa Saba, a human rights defender said, "For how long will the problem of Afghan women continue like this?"
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate said that it had ensured the rights of women across the country, reported Tolo News.
"The women are included in a lot of government positions where they are needed and they continue their work. Some of them who are not provided with work, their salaries are being paid at their homes," Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said.
This comes as the women's rights defenders said that such gatherings should be attended by female activists fighting for their rights inside Afghanistan, reported Tolo news. "The gathering, which took place in Ankara, will not bring any result and I am sure it was just at the level of a meeting. There has been no attention toward the situation of Afghanistan's women," said Zholia Parsa, a women's rights defender.
Recently, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Martin Griffiths had said that the situation of Afghan women and girls is regressing and also called out the Taliban for reopening girls' schools.
"Women and girls are facing alarming rollback on their rights," said Martin Griffiths.
Previously, Amnesty International has said that women and girls have been stripped of their rights and face a bleak future, according to Khaama Press.
"Arbitrary detentions, torture, disappearances, summary executions have returned as the order of the day. Women and girls have been stripped of their rights and face a bleak future, deprived of education or the possibility of taking part in public life," Amnesty International's South Asia Regional Director, Yamini Mishra said.
"The doors of the schools have been closed for a year, while officials and international organizations worsen the situation, and none of them takes any concrete effort to get out of this situation," said Ai Noor Uzbek, a women's rights activist, condemning the situation in Afghanistan.
Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the plight of Afghan women has worsened in the country. Contrary to the Taliban's claims, girls were stopped from going to school beyond sixth grade on March 23 and a decree against the women's dress code was issued after a month. There are restrictions on movement, education and freedom of expression of women posing a threat to their survival.
Not only this, the lack of female healthcare workers has prevented the women from accessing basic medical facilities, and the international donors, who fund 90 per cent of health clinics, are hesitant to send money because of their fear of the funds being misused.
Around 80 per cent of women working in the media have lost their jobs, and almost 18 million women in the country are struggling for health, education and social rights. —ANI
