2024-09-25 05:58:27
A female cat has more freedom in Afghanistan than a woman, said Hollywood actress Meryl Streep during an event at the United Nations (UN) in New York, quoted by Reuters. So she is trying to get world leaders to focus on the plight of Afghan women and girls.
“The way … this society was turned upside down is a lesson for the rest of the world,” Streep said at a UN General Assembly event in an effort to promote the inclusion of women in Afghanistan’s future development.
The Taliban seized power in the country in August 2021 when US-led forces withdrew after a 20-year war. The United Nations is seeking a unified global approach to deal with the Taliban, which tramples on women’s rights, Reuters recalls.
They bar most girls from high school and women from university. They closed hair salons and restricted women from traveling without a male companion.
“Today in Kabul a female cat has more freedoms than a woman. A cat can sit on the steps in front of her house and feel the sun on her face. She can chase a squirrel in the park. Today in Afghanistan a squirrel has more rights than a girl because public parks are closed to women and girls,” said Meryl Streep. “A bird can sing in Kabul, but a girl and a woman cannot sing in public. This is unusual,” she added.
The Taliban say they respect rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law, Reuters recalls. Last month, the group officially drafted rules governing morality, which are based on a 2022 decree by the Taliban’s supreme spiritual leader and will be enforced by the morality ministry, BTA writes.
“Without educated women, without working women, including in leadership positions, and without recognition of the rights and freedoms of half of the country’s population, Afghanistan will never take its rightful place on the world stage,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. during the event, quoted by Reuters.