By Banafsha Binesh in TOLOnews Online, May 01, 2023 at 8:50 PM
Amid an ongoing international meeting of the UN in Doha, Afghans demanded that girls’ and women’s be granted access to education and work.
A UN meeting chaired by Secretary General Antonio Guterres and attended by representatives of more than 20 countries and organizations was held on Monday in Doha.
Some Afghan women meanwhile expressed criticism over the lack of women’s representatives in the meeting. They also argued that participants should make an effort to remove restrictions on women’s work and education in Afghanistan.
“The meeting that is set to be held in Doha should discuss the rights, work and political inclusion of women including at universities and schools and also the restrictions that are imposed on women in Afghanistan,” said Jolia Parsa, women’s rights activist.
In the meantime, other citizens called on the international community to not halt humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan as the country remains in a serious crisis.
“We hope the Islamic Emirate will open the way for an engagement that can provide rights to the people of Afghanistan,” said Abdul Jalil, a resident of Paktia.
“It is necessary that women should also be educated. We need doctors. If the women are deprived of education, we will depend on other countries for our need in the future,” said Safiullah Momand, a resident of Nangarhar.
“The people are neutral and they are not connected to the government, thus we should be provided with assistance. We have widows and there are blind and disabled people,” said Mohammad Sabir, a resident of Uruzgan.
This comes as some Afghans held rallies in various countries including Europe, the US and neighboring countries, where they called for an inclusive government and respect for human rights in Afghanistan.
“The Taliban have monopolized the people of Afghanistan, particularly women, which is considered a violation of human rights,” said Mursal Ayar, an Afghan women’s rights activist in Pakistan.
But the Islamic Emirate said that the interim government seeks good economic and diplomatic relations with the world.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants to have good relations with all the countries and also good diplomatic and economic relations. They should give a hand to Afghanistan in this regard,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, an Islamic Emirate’s spokesman.
The Doha meeting is set for May 1 and 2.
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-183187
