The foreign ministers of several Western countries, including Spain’s José Manuel Albares, condemned on Wednesday the decision of the Taliban authorities to ban women from universities in Afghanistan.
The text, which has been signed by countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, recalls that the latest policies of the Taliban are a reflection of the contempt they have «for the human rights and fundamental freedoms» of the Afghan people.
The countries also warned in a joint statement that the Taliban’s policies «designed to erase women from public life will have consequences» for the way countries interact with Afghanistan.
In this regard, they listed that in the last 16 months the Taliban have pushed through «relentless and systematic» measures that restrict women’s mobility, prevent women from going to their workplaces or require women to cover themselves from head to toe.
In addition, some 16 decrees and edicts prohibit women from using public spaces such as parks or gyms, and leave widows and female-headed households «in desperate circumstances because of the requirement of mandatory male guardianship.»
«With these moves, they are further isolating themselves from the Afghan population and the international community. We urge the Taliban to immediately abandon the new oppressive measures regarding university education for women and girls and without delay reverse the existing decision to ban girls from secondary school,» they concluded.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
