Afghanistan: Female protesters in Kabul urge Taliban to reopen Ministry of Women's Affairs

Kabul [Afghanistan], January 18 (ANI): Women protestors in Kabul on Monday urged the Taliban to reopen the Ministry of Women's Affairs, to allow girls access to education, and to include women in the government's cabinet.
The participants voiced their concerns over the situation for women in the country, reported Tolo News.
They presented the Islamic Emirate with a proposal calling for the reopening of the Women's Ministry, facilitating education for girls, and including women in senior government positions.
"The utilization of woman workers and academic women, the appointment of women as deputy ministers, the aiding of vulnerable families, and the creation of job opportunities for Afghans are our main wishes," said Asma, a participant.
Women protestors also voiced support for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for the release of Afghanistan's central bank assets, reported Tolo News.
"We ask the world humanitarian organizations...The number of those who left the country and say to freeze the assets are not even one million. We are aware that they are saying such things. Is it important to kill 34 million (people) for the sake of one million?" asked Tajor Kakar, a women's rights defender.
Meanwhile, The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a recent statement said that the Taliban want to "steadily erase women and girls from public life", reported Tolo News.
"Today, we are witnessing the attempt to steadily erase women and girls from public life in Afghanistan including in institutions and mechanisms that had been previously set up to assist and protect those women and girls who are most at risk," the experts said.
"We are concerned about the continuous and systematic efforts to exclude women from the social, economic, and political spheres across the country," added experts, blaming the Taliban for pushing women and girls in Afghanistan out of public life, reported Tolo News.
The experts have also raised concerns over the risk of exploitation of women and girls including trafficking for the purposes of child and forced marriage, sexual exploitation and forced labour, reported Tolo News.
Some Afghan women's rights activists said that the challenges for women have been rising since the Taliban swept into power.
According to the experts, barring women from returning to their jobs, requiring a male relative to accompany them in public spaces, prohibiting women from using public transportations on their own, and denying secondary and tertiary education for girls are the policies being implemented for the exclusion of women.
"In addition to severely limiting their freedom of movement, expression and association, and their participation in public and political affairs, these policies have also affected the ability of women to work and to make a living, pushing them further into poverty," the experts said.
According to the experts, the humanitarian crisis in the country has been more devastating for women, children, minorities and female-headed households.
The experts have also called on the international community to hold the Islamic Emirate accountable and also to observe human rights and immediately remove restrictions on women and girls' fundamental rights, reported Tolo News. (ANI)