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Afghanistan: Women

Asked by Tonia AntoniazziLabourForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled Answered 17 December 2024UIN 17861

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Afghan counterpart on the treatment of women and girls in that country.

Answered by Mr Hamish Falconer

We have repeatedly condemned Taliban restrictions on women and girls' rights, both bilaterally and internationally. As the Foreign Secretary has said, exclusion of women from all aspects of public life is a tragic setback for Afghanistan.

Officials from the Doha-based UK Mission to Afghanistan continue to press Taliban acting ministers and Afghan officials on human rights abuses in Afghanistan. Officials visit Kabul regularly, raising issues directly with senior members of the Taliban, including the unacceptable violations of the rights of women and girls. Since 4 December officials have been raising the issue of the Taliban ban on women accessing medical education and training in Afghanistan.

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