The United Nations has repudiated the new code of female dress and conduct announced by the Afghan Taliban which, the UN suspects, it is an obligation more than a formal recommendation, and has accused the fundamentalist movement of betraying its freedom commitments adopted after reconquering the country in August last year.
The edict proclaimed by the Taliban leader, Hibatulá Ajunzadá, decrees punishments for women who do not cover their faces when they are away from home. According to the Taliban, the new order does not force the use of a certain garmentbut it does expressly recommend the burqa, a symbol of the repression of the previous Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001.
Anyway, the general premise is that if women don’t have anything important to do, “better stay home”. Given the ambiguity of this language, the United Nations understands, according to the information received by its mission in the country, UNAMA, that the Taliban have issued “a formal directive instead of a recommendation”, and as such it will be “applied and defended”. .
For UNAMA, “this decision contradicts numerous guarantees regarding the respect and protection of the Human Rights of all Afghans, including those of women and girlswhich the representatives of the Taliban provided to the international community during the discussions and negotiations of the last decade”.
The UN recalls that “the international community has been anxious to receive signs that the Taliban are ready for positive relationships with the rest of the world” and that decisions like this, or the one taken six weeks ago to postpone secondary education for Afghan girls “could further strain engagement with the international community.
For all these reasons, UNAMA immediately request a meeting with the Taliban authorities to seek clarification on the impact of this decision, announcing that “will also participate in consultations with members of the international community about its implications.
Source: Lasexta
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
