Top UN official reacts to Afghan women being assaulted, says Taliban should respect rights

After a Taliban spokesperson justified the terror group's ultra austere restrictions on women and asserted that it wasn't necessary for women to be a part of the cabinet as "they should give birth", a top United Nations official expressed shock and outrage and asked the Taliban to respect women. 

Earlier in the week, the Taliban reportedly assaulted women with whips and batons for protesting against the non-inclusion of women in the country's newly formed government. Speaking in an interview with Tolo News, Taliban spokesperson Sayed Zekrullah Hashimin said, "The four women protesting in the streets. They do not represent the women of Afghanistan. The women of Afghanistan are those who give birth to the people of Afghanistan and educate them on Islamic ethics."

Reacting to the absolute disregard for women's rights in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, Pramila Patten, officer-in-charge of UN Women, expressed her “outrage and shock” on Thursday and said that “peaceful protest” was a legitimate right. Notably, several women have emerged at the forefront of resistance against the Taliban, staging multiple protests in Kabul and its vicinity. 

"Women have a right to peaceful protest and to a life free of violence. In taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban authorities assume a duty to respect and protect these rights," Patten was quoted as saying by Xinhua. 

"I am shocked and outraged by the images of women in Afghanistan being whipped, hit with shock batons and beaten simply for exercising their right to peaceful protest. I stand in solidarity with all Afghan women who are fighting for the respect of their fundamental rights and freedoms," she added.

Women rights in Afghanistan

Patten had previously called for women’s inclusion in Afghanistan's newly formed government highlighting that it was the fundamental prerequisite for gender equality and genuine democracy. In her latest address, she reiterated her stance saying that the Taliban should adhere to their duty and protect the full rights of women and children.

"I call again upon the Taliban to adhere to their duty to ensure the full rights of all women and girls in Afghanistan, to ensure the immediate cessation of this wholly unacceptable normalisation of violence against them and to monitor and investigate these violations so that perpetrators are held accountable whenever and wherever such violence occurs," the UN  official said. 

Soon after capturing power, the Taliban had vowed that its regime would be different from the previous one and allow women to participate in political affairs. But, recent measures such as a ban on sports and coeducation suggest otherwise. 

During their previous regime, from 1996 to 2001, the Islamist group forbade women from getting any kind of education and blatantly denied their right to work. They also stopped women from travelling outside their homes without a male relative accompanying them. Some of the more gruesome acts by the Taliban include public executions and floggings.

(Image: USGSRSGPatten/Twitter/AP)