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Afghan women's rights dwindle as EU plans Taliban talks
🇮🇪 Ireland /Conflict & Security

Afghan women's rights dwindle as EU plans Taliban talks

From RTÉ News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Afghanistan faces a profound crisis with dwindling international focus, despite ongoing humanitarian issues and the Taliban's consolidation of power.
  • The EU is planning talks with Taliban officials on deportations, sparking controversy, while protests against the Taliban's dress code have led to violence.
  • Aid groups and the UN warn of long-lasting damage to Afghan society due to restrictive policies, with a young population facing constrained opportunities and increasing numbers of refugees returning from neighboring countries.

Afghanistan's crisis deepens, largely ignored as international attention shifts to conflicts elsewhere, according to Katharina Ritz, outgoing Head of the ICRC Delegation in Kabul. "The perception is that Afghanistan is not in a crisis because it is out of news," she told RTÉ News, highlighting the profound suffering of its 45 million people amid aid cuts and the Taliban's tightening grip.

The perception is that Afghanistan is not in a crisis because it is out of news.

— Katharina RitzThe outgoing Head of the ICRC Delegation in Kabul commented on the lack of international focus on Afghanistan's ongoing crisis.

This situation is compounded by the EU's controversial invitation to Taliban officials for talks on deporting Afghan asylum seekers, which EU officials described as "technical." Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, rare protests against the Taliban's strict dress code and arrests of women resulted in police firing on demonstrators, killing at least one person. Local authorities labeled the protesters "rioters" and vowed a "serious, Sharia, and principled approach" to any disruption of public security.

It was very sad to see girls coming over. They were arriving over in their jeans and their long hair and from their schools … into a very, very different environment.

— Peter PowerThe head of UNICEF Ireland described the plight of young Afghan girls returning from Iran.

Aid organizations and the UN express grave concern over the long-term damage to Afghan society. Georgette Gagnon, the UN's acting head of mission, noted that a generation is coming of age with "constrained opportunity - particularly for girls." This comes as millions of Afghans are forced to return from Iran and Pakistan, many fleeing rising hostilities and deportations. Peter Power, head of UNICEF Ireland, described witnessing young girls arriving from Iran, leaving behind their schools and familiar lives for a drastically different environment.

a whole generation coming of age at a time of constrained opportunity - particularly for girls, but also increasingly for boys

— Georgette GagnonThe UN's acting head of mission in Afghanistan described the limited future prospects for young Afghans.

The conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which has claimed hundreds of lives this year, adds another layer of instability. Pakistan accuses the Afghan Taliban of sponsoring terrorism, a charge the group denies. For Afghan women, the situation continues to deteriorate under increasingly restrictive policies.

hijab is a divine command, a law that we are obliged to implement

— Taliban spokespersonA spokesperson for the Taliban addressed reports of arrests related to the country's dress code.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by RTÉ News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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