Press briefing by UN Women on the new Afghanistan Gender Alert

Today, UN Women is releasing caller information which shows that, contempt this ban, the immense majority of Afghans – women and men alike – enactment girls’ education.

In a nationwide, door-to-door survey of much than 2,000 Afghans, more than 9 retired of 10 said it was important for girls to proceed their schooling. 

Support was overwhelming crossed the board: from men and women, successful some municipality and agrarian communities.

It is clear: Despite the existing bans, the Afghan radical privation their daughters to workout their close to education. 

In a state wherever fractional the colonisation lives successful poverty, education is the quality betwixt despair and possibility. 

These findings tin beryllium recovered successful a new UN Women Gender Alert, spotlighting the normalization of the women’s rights situation successful Afghanistan, 4 years aft the Taliban takeover. The Gender Alert comes 1 twelvemonth aft the alleged morality law’ codified a sweeping acceptable of restrictions connected women and girls.

The Gender Alert besides looked astatine the Taliban’s prohibition connected women moving for NGOs – announced astir 3 years ago. Its interaction is devastating.

In a survey conducted this July and August, 97 per cent of Afghan women successful areas wherever the prohibition is enforced said it has harmed their regular lives.

Three-quarters described their intelligence wellness arsenic “bad” oregon “very bad”.

This is wherefore investing successful Afghan women’s organizations is astatine the halfway of UN Women’s work.

Because erstwhile different doors are closed, these assemblage organizations stay 1 of the lone lifelines left.

If you can’t permission your location without a man, oregon talk to men extracurricular your household – wherever bash you crook for healthcare, intelligence wellness enactment oregon simply the accidental to link with different women? 

You crook to section women’s organizations.

Their enactment is particularly captious for Afghan women and girls returning from Iran and Pakistan – among the 1.7 cardinal Afghans who person returned this twelvemonth unsocial – galore forcibly.

Without women assistance workers, galore volition simply miss retired connected life-saving support.

Gender alert: Four years of Taliban rule: Afghan women defy arsenic restrictions tighten

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Yet, contempt everything, Afghan women and girls are not giving up hope.

In our nationwide, door-to-door survey, more than fractional of women said they remained hopeful about achieving their aboriginal aspirations – despite astir each doorway to nationalist beingness being shut. 

Hope itself has go a strategy. A deliberate effect to repression.

The planetary assemblage indispensable perceive this anticipation – and respond.

In September, Member States volition stitchery for the UN General Assembly and commemorate 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action laid retired a roadmap for sex equality. 

And whereas the satellite has seen important advancement successful the past 30 years successful advancing the acquisition of women and girls, for Afghan women and girls, the past 4 years people an unprecedented regression.

Our effect to the systematic erasure of women and girls successful Afghanistan volition beryllium 1 of the top tests of our resolve.

The question is simple: Do we genuinely judge successful adjacent rights for women and girls? 

Afghan women and girls are holding onto hope. 

We indispensable conscionable that anticipation with action, not silence.