Eleanor Sanders, the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador at the United Nations, condemned the ongoing repression and educational and occupational bans on women and girls in Afghanistan. She urged the international community to maintain collective pressure on the interim government to lift these “inhumane” restrictions.
Ms. Sanders made these remarks at the fifty-eighth session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva, describing the prohibition of women from accessing medical education, including nursing, midwifery, and dentistry, as “horrific.”
She further emphasized that these actions are a blatant violation of human rights.
The UK’s Human Rights Ambassador at the UN also called on the leaders of the current Afghan government to lift these restrictions.
Eleanor Sanders stated: “A bright future for all Afghans requires respect for the rights of women and girls.”
Additionally, the UK’s Human Rights Ambassador at the UN highlighted the importance of continuing international support for the people of Afghanistan, noting that the UK is committed to providing services and support for vulnerable groups in Afghanistan with a pledge of £171 million in humanitarian aid.
She stressed that the international community must maintain pressure on the current government to retreat from its repressive policies and ensure that the rights of all Afghans are upheld.
While Eleanor Sanders defends the rights of Afghan women and girls, the interim government has prohibited girls above sixth grade from attending school since regaining control over Afghanistan. Subsequently, they also closed universities to girls. In a recent move, they banned girls from studying in medical institutes, thereby completely depriving them of access to formal education.
Moreover, women and girls have been barred from going to sports clubs, restaurants, public baths, being examined by male doctors, traveling without a male guardian, working in local and international NGOs, and even accessing UN offices in Afghanistan.
