Geneva
Every day there are at least one or two women who commit suicide, said a former deputy speaker of the Afghan Parliament on Friday, highlighting the lack of opportunity and ailing mental health that is taking a toll on Afghan women.
This revelation came during a rare urgent debate on the woman’s rights issue at Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva.
The HRC held an urgent debate on the human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan to discuss the rights situation in the country since the takeover by the Taliban. This meeting comes as Afghan women are witnessing the most significant and rapid roll-back of their rights across the board in decades.
Every day, at least one or two women committed suicide due to the lack of opportunity and mental health pressures. Girls as young as nine years old were being sold, not only because of economic pressure, but because there was no hope for them and their family. This was not normal and the women of Afghanistan did not deserve this, said Fawzia Koofi, former deputy speaker of the Afghan Parliament.
Echoing widespread international concern for ordinary Afghans, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet condemned the massive unemployment of women, the restrictions placed on the way they dress, and their access on basic services.
Women-owned and operated businesses have been shut down, Bachelet added, saying that 1.2 million girls no longer have access to secondary education, in line with a decision by the de facto authorities who took power in August 2021.
