Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Taliban tell Afghan women to stay home because soldiers are 'not trained' to respect them

Taliban tell Afghan women to stay home because soldiers are 'not trained' to respect them

Fear is mounting for women and girls in Afghanistan after the Taliban told working women to stay at home, admitting they were not safe in the hands of the militant group's soldiers.
Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid said at a news conference on Tuesday that women should not go to work for their own safety, undermining the group's efforts to convince international observers that the group would be more tolerant towards women than when they were last in power.

The instruction came the same day that the World Bank halted funding in Afghanistan, citing concerns about the safety of women, and within hours of the UN calling for a "transparent and prompt investigation" into reports of human rights abuses since the Taliban takeover.

Mujahid said the guidance to stay at home would be temporary, and would allow the group to find ways to ensure that women are not "treated in a disrespectful way" or "God forbid, hurt." He admitted the measure was necessary because the Taliban's soldiers "keep changing and are not trained."

"We are happy for them to enter the buildings but we want to make sure they do not face any worries," he said. "Therefore, we have asked them to take time off from work until the situation gets back to a normal order and women related procedures are in place, then they can return to their jobs once it's announced."

When last in power between 1996 and 2001 the militant group banned women from the workplace, stopped them from leaving the home unaccompanied and forced them to cover their entire bodies.

A Taliban fighter walks past a Kabul beauty salon, where images of women are defaced by spray paint.
The group has insisted its new era in charge will be more moderate, but Taliban leaders have refused to guarantee women's rights will not be stripped back and many have already faced violence.

The World Bank announced Tuesday it is halting financial support to Afghanistan amid worries about the fate of women under Taliban rule, dealing another blow to an economy that relies heavily on foreign aid.

"We are deeply concerned about the situation in Afghanistan and the impact on the country's development prospects, especially for women," World Bank spokesperson Marcela Sanchez-Bender said in a statement to CNN.

And five women from Afghanistan's renowned robotics team arrived in Mexico on Tuesday, after being issued humanitarian visas.
In the early months of the Taliban's resurgence in Afghanistan, women have been increasingly isolated from society and many have been the targets of harassment and attacks -- including the high-profile murder of three female journalists in March.

In early July, insurgents walked into the offices of Azizi Bank in the southern city of Kandahar and ordered nine women working there to leave, Reuters reported. The female bank tellers were told that male relatives would take their place.

Amid increasing concern from the international community, the United Nations called for an "transparent and prompt investigation" into human rights abuses "committed by all parties to the conflict" on Tuesday, after an emergency meeting of its Human Rights Council.

But the agency was condemned by a number of non-profit organizations for parsing its language after adopting the resolution, initially proposed by Pakistan.

John Fisher, Geneva director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that the UN "failed to create a strong human rights monitoring body and meet its responsibility to protect the Afghan people." He said the resolution "is a slap in the face to Afghan human rights defenders and women's rights activists who are watching in horror as the rule of law crumbles around them."

The Taliban also warned Tuesday that the US must stick to next week's deadline to pull out, and said they were "not allowing the evacuation of Afghans anymore," though a source told CNN Wednesday that the apparent ban had not yet had a discernible effect on arrivals at Kabul airport.

Approximately 19,000 people were evacuated from Afghanistan on Tuesday, including 11,200 evacuees on US military flights and 7,800 on coalition flights, according to a White House official.

That's down slightly from the previous day, when the US reported 21,000 people were evacuated from Kabul airport via 37 US military flights carrying 12,700 evacuees, plus 57 coalition flights carrying 8,900 people.

A frantic Western evacuation operation at Kabul's airport has provided the only faint opportunity for many Afghans to escape the country in recent days, and crowds outside the facility have swelled since the militants seized power.

But US President Joe Biden reiterated that he aims to stick with his August 31 deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan - as long as the Taliban does not disrupt ongoing evacuation operations or airport access. Top American allies have already called for an extension in order to fly more people out.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
EU Majority Demands Hungary Reverse Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws
Top Hotel Picks for 2025 Stays in Budapest Revealed
Iron Maiden Unveils 2025 Tour Setlist in Budapest
Chinese Film Week Opens in Budapest to Promote Cultural Exchange
Budapest Airport Launches Direct Flights to Shymkent
Von der Leyen Denies Urging EU Officials to Skip Budapest Pride
Alcaraz and Sinner Advance with Convincing Wins at Roland Garros
EU Ministers Lack Consensus on Sanctioning Hungary Over Rule of Law
EU Nations Urge Action Against Hungary's Pride Parade Ban
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
U.S. Considers Withdrawing Troops from Europe
Russia Deploys Motorbike Squads in Ukraine Conflict
Critics Accuse European Court of Human Rights of Overreach
Spain Proposes 100% Tax on Non-EU Holiday Home Purchases
German Intelligence Labels AfD as Far-Right Extremist
Geert Wilders Threatens Dutch Coalition Over Migration Policy
Hungary Faces Multiple Challenges Amid EU Tensions and Political Shifts
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Any trade deal with US must be based on respect not threats', says EU commissioner
UK Leads in Remote Work Adoption, Averaging 1.8 Days a Week
Thirteen Killed in Russian Attacks Across Ukraine
High-Profile Incidents and Political Developments Dominate Global News
Netanyahu Accuses Western Leaders of 'Emboldening Hamas'
Ukraine and Russia Conduct Largest Prisoner Exchange of the War
×