UN chief warns of 'gender-based discrimination and oppression' in Afghanistan

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres denounced on Monday Afghanistan’s "a deep crisis of gender-based discrimination and oppression" against women.

Speaking at a side event on women’s inclusion in the Afghanistan's future, Guterres warned that Afghanistan’s new laws, which he said "strip Afghan women and girls of their rights and freedoms across the board," are causing harm to the nation.

"Afghan women and girls are largely confined to their homes, with no freedom of movement and almost no access to education or work," said the UN chief.

Stating that Afghan women also suffer high rates of violence, honor killings, and rising maternal mortality, he said many feel "unsafe, isolated and powerless."

The UN chief further stressed that the oppression of women undermines Afghanistan's development, and said: "Extreme gender-based discrimination is not only a systematic abuse of women and girls and a violation of human rights conventions and laws. It is self-harm on a national scale."

He called on Afghan authorities to remove all restrictions against women and girls, reopen schools, and allow women to fully participate in society.

"Without recognizing the rights of one-half of its population, Afghanistan will never take its rightful place on the global stage," Guterres said.