Meryl Streep has expressed her strong support for Afghan women by stating that “a squirrel has more rights” than a girl in Afghanistan, emphasizing the harsh restrictions imposed by the Taliban. Since their return to power in August 2021, following the US-led withdrawal, the Taliban has enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law, severely limiting the rights of women and girls. These restrictions include banning women from public parks, universities, and singing in public, a situation the UN has described as “gender apartheid.”
Meryl Streep voiced her concerns during a discussion at the UN General Assembly in New York, saying, “A squirrel enjoys more freedoms than girls in Afghanistan, as they are now barred from public spaces by the Taliban. Birds may sing in Kabul, but girls and women cannot.”
She further called on the global community to unite and bring change to Afghanistan, highlighting the “slow suffocation” of half the population under Taliban rule.
The Taliban government, unrecognized internationally, formalized new laws in August, further tightening control over women’s lives. These laws, some of which were informally enforced since 2021, restrict women from raising their voices outside their homes, singing, or reading poetry publicly, and mandate that they cover their entire bodies and faces when outside, limiting their movement to “necessities only.”
Asila Wardak, from the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan, reminded global leaders at the UN that the struggle against the oppression of Afghan women is not only an Afghan issue but a global fight against extremism. Fawzia Koofi, a former Afghan MP, echoed the call, urging for the appointment of a UN special envoy to increase pressure on the Taliban.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that the discrimination against women is severely harming Afghanistan’s prospects. He highlighted the importance of educating girls to accelerate economic development and improve social welfare, noting the positive impacts of women’s participation in areas such as peace, security, and environmental stability.
