USA, UNGA, Sept 25 (Alliance News): At the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), award-winning actress Meryl Streep made a powerful statement about women’s rights in Afghanistan, comparing their lack of freedom to the privileges enjoyed by animals like cats, squirrels, and birds.
“A cat may feel the sun on her face. She may chase a squirrel into the park… A bird may sing in Kabul, but a girl may not, and a woman may not in public,” Streep said. Her poignant words highlighted the severity of the Taliban’s oppression of Afghan women and girls.
Streep’s comments, made on Monday, resonated across social media, drawing global attention to the plight of Afghan women under Taliban rule.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan three years ago, following the withdrawal of US forces, women and girls have faced a series of escalating restrictions that have gradually erased their presence in public life.
Unprecedented Action by Four Nations
In a significant development, four countries – Germany, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands – announced on Thursday that they are taking “unprecedented” action against the Taliban for its systematic oppression of women and girls.
The group accused the Taliban of violating the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), a treaty Afghanistan ratified in 2003, well before the Taliban’s return to power.
“We know that women and girls of Afghanistan are effectively being erased from public life by the various edicts the Taliban have issued,” said Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. “The steps we are taking with Germany, Canada, and the Netherlands are unprecedented.”
This legal move could lead to proceedings against the Taliban at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, as Afghanistan remains a signatory to CEDAW.
Human Rights Watch noted that this could be a crucial step toward accountability for the Taliban’s human rights violations against Afghan women and girls.
The Taliban’s Tightening Grip on Women’s Lives
Since regaining control of Afghanistan, the Taliban has imposed a series of increasingly severe restrictions on women and girls. These include prohibitions on education beyond grade 6, barring women from most jobs, enforcing full-body coverings, and forbidding interactions between women and unrelated men. The most recent of the Taliban’s edicts, introduced last month, demands that women and girls remain silent in public spaces. According to the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam, a woman’s voice is considered intimate and should not be heard singing, reciting, or speaking in public.
The silencing of Afghan women has drawn sharp criticism from the international community and has exacerbated the mental health crisis among Afghan women and girls. Health experts and rights activists report rising levels of depression and an increase in suicide attempts among Afghan women, who are struggling with the suffocating restrictions imposed by the Taliban.
“Erasure of an Entire Gender”
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Meryl Streep expressed her deep concern for Afghan women and girls, stating that the Taliban’s actions amounted to the “erasure of an entire gender.” Streep, who is known for her activism, emphasized that the global community must not remain silent while Afghan women are systematically stripped of their rights and dignity.
Fawzia Koofi, a former member of the Afghan parliament, echoed Streep’s sentiments, stating that the Taliban has failed to understand the progress made in Afghanistan over the last two decades.
“Despite the Taliban’s efforts to erase them, Afghan women are fighting to have their voices heard,” Koofi said.
Since the Taliban banned women from speaking in public, some Afghan women have defiantly posted videos of themselves singing on social media. Koofi noted that this act of defiance reflects a “different Afghanistan” that the Taliban does not understand.
“Today, every woman in Afghanistan is a journalist, every woman in Afghanistan is a TV, by talking about what their experience is,” she said.
A Path Toward Justice?
Fereshta Abbasi, a researcher on Afghanistan for Human Rights Watch, expressed hope that the actions taken by Germany, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands would mark the beginning of a path toward justice for Afghan women and girls.
She called on other nations to support the legal action and to involve Afghan women in the process.
“It is vitally important for other countries to register their support for this action and for them to involve Afghan women as the process moves forward,” Abbasi said.
Despite mounting international pressure, the Taliban has yet to respond to the accusations or show any willingness to change its policies.
However, the move by the four Western nations represents a significant escalation in the global response to the Taliban’s treatment of women and could pave the way for future legal action at the international level.
Global Attention on Afghan Women’s Rights
The global outcry against the Taliban’s treatment of Afghan women continues to grow. The actions of Germany, Australia, Canada, and the Netherlands, combined with Streep’s impassioned advocacy, have reignited the conversation about the plight of Afghan women and girls on the world stage.
As the legal proceedings move forward, there is hope that justice can be achieved for the countless Afghan women and girls who have been silenced and marginalized under the Taliban’s rule.
The world is watching, and the courage of Afghan women, coupled with the growing international response, offers a glimmer of hope for a better future.
