Thank you, Madame Vice-President.
We welcome the outcome of this review, which reflects the appalling human rights situation in Afghanistan.
We are pleased that many of the recommendations were accepted, including the UK’s recommendation to lift the draconian restrictions on education and employment for women and girls.
But sadly, Kabul has apparently taken no note.
Instead, the Taliban’s so-called “vice and virtue” laws have dealt yet another severe blow to women’s rights in Afghanistan. Now the sound of a woman’s voice is deemed a moral violation, their faces are banned in public, and they are forbidden to look at men to whom they are not related. As our Foreign Secretary has said, these laws mark another tragic setback for the country.
The UK condemns the recent attacks on the majority Shia Hazara community, which are utterly appalling. We echo the Special Rapporteur’s call for the protection of minority communities in Afghanistan.
The UK will continue to shed light on human rights abuses in Afghanistan, especially against women and girls. The despicable decrees targeting their most basic rights must be overturned.
Thank you.
