The UN Security Council has condemned the policies of the Taliban government that are against women and girls in Afghanistan.
The Taliban government has stopped females from attending university and working for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the previous week.
The Security Council, with 15 members, said it was “deeply alarmed” by the increasing restrictions on women’s education.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in his condemnation to the policies, expressed that the fresh restrictions “must be revoked”.
A statement from the Council urged for the “full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and girls in Afghanistan”.
It called for the Taliban “to reopen schools and swiftly reverse these policies and practices, which represents an increasing erosion for the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
The prohibition on female humanitarian workers “would have a significant and immediate impact for humanitarian operations in the country”, including for the UN, it added.
Guterres said that the latest restrictions were “unjustifiable human rights violations”.
“Actions to exclude and silence women and girls continue to cause immense suffering and major setbacks to the potential of the Afghan people,” Guterres wrote on Twitter.
Close to five major NGOs paused work in Afghanistan after the new Taliban law prohibited women from working for them by the Taliban government.
Care International, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and Save the Children showed helplessness “without our female staff” to carry out work.
The International Rescue Committee also stopped services while Islamic Relief said it was halting the majority of its work.
The Taliban last week arrested five women taking part in a protest in the Afghan capital, Kabul, over the ban on female education. Three journalists were also arrested.
Since coming to the helm of affairs of the country last year, the Taliban have continuously interfered in women’s rights, even though assuring of a softer rule than the regime seen in the 1990s.
The ban has been extended to female NGO workers, and female university students and secondary schools for girls have been closed in most provinces.
Women have also been barred from entering parks and gyms, among other public places.
